Wednesday 25 March 2015

Cheapside









These three shops  on the corner of Wood Street and Cheapside date from 1687 and were built after the Great Fire of London. There is an inscription on the back of the building giving details.
Just to the right of the shops is a small garden with a huge plane tree in the middle of it. This was the site of a former churchyard. The church of St Peter's was first mentioned in 1196 but destroyed in the Great Fire and never rebuilt.














On the railings surrounding this small garden is this memorial to the church wardens dated 1712.

 Cheapside was one of the busiest streets during Medieval times. The word 'cheap' is from the old English word for market. Looking at the local street names it isn't difficult to guess the goods that were traded here.




11 comments:

  1. The street names remind me of of Hanoi where they similarly describe what is, or was sold in the street.

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  2. I love how the streets are named after products you could buy at the market.

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  3. I'm fascinated that the old shops have been built around rather than torn down. It really adds a certain charm to the area.

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  4. This is absolutely wonderful. Thanks for the explanation of 'cheap' ... I wondered. Love knowing this is still there ... Everything about it!

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  5. Cheap...Market...ahhh...I love learning something everyday (maybe even two things...but that's my limit :)

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  6. There is so much history in London and I am enjoying getting to learn all about it from you! :-)

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  7. Now that is very interesting. The street names are cool and I had no idea cheap meant market.

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  8. Cheapside is a real funny name for a market and the street names too ! I wonder if the shops are selling cheap things !

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  9. Whenever I hear Cheapside I have to think of Pride and Prejudice. I always wondered what kind of area it was and from your description it sounds a bit lower than I would have though. Although, there might have been a bit more upmarket areas even then of course!

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  10. Another interesting snippet of history

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  11. Great street names and very easy to remember. It's a lovely area.

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