Billingsgateis one of the 25Wards of the City of London.This small City Ward is situated on the north bank of theRiver ThamesbetweenLondon BridgeandTower Bridgein the south-east of the Square Mile.
| Ward of Billingsgate | |
|---|---|
 Location within the City | |
  Ward of Billingsgate Location withinGreater London | |
| OS grid reference | TQ332806 |
| Sui generis | |
| Administrative area | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | EC3 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | City of London |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
The modern Ward extends south to the Thames, west toLovat Laneand Rood Lane, north toFenchurch Streetand Dunster Court, and east toMark LaneandSt Dunstan's Hill.
History
editLegendary origin
editBillingsgate's most ancient historical reference is as awater gateto the city ofTrinovantum(the name given to London in medieval British legend), as mentioned in theHistoria Regum Britanniae(Eng:History of the Kings of Britain) writtenc.1136 byGeoffrey of Monmouth.This work describes howBelinus,a legendary king of Britain said to have held the throne from about 390 BC, erected London's firstfortifiedwater gate:
In the town of Trinovantum Belinus caused to be constructed a gateway of extraordinary workmanship, which in his time the citizens called Billingsgate, from his own name.... Finally, when his last day dawned and carried him away from this life, his body was cremated and the ash enclosed in a golden urn. This urn the citizens placed with extraordinary skill on the very top of the tower in Trinovantum which I have described.[1]
Historical origin
editOriginally known asBlynesgateandByllynsgate,[2]its name apparently derives from its origins as a water gate on the Thames, where goods were landed, becoming Billingsgate Wharf, part of London's docks close toLower Thames Street.
HistorianJohn Stowrecords that Billingsgate Market was a general market for corn, coal, iron, wine, salt, pottery, fish and miscellaneous goods until the 16th century, when neighbouring streets became a specialist fish market.[3]By the late 16th century, mostmerchant vesselshad become too large to pass under London Bridge, and so Billingsgate, with its deeply recessedharbour,replacedQueenhitheas the most importantlanding placein the city.
Great Fire of London
editUntilboundary changesin 2003, the Ward includedPudding Lane,[4]where in 1666 theGreat Fire of Londonstarted.[5]A sign was erected over the property where the Great Fire began:
Here, by the permission of Heaven, hell broke loose upon this protestant city, from the malicious hearts of barbarous Papists, by the hand of their agent Hubert, who confessed, and on the ruins of this place declared the fact, for which he was hanged, viz. That here began the dreadful fire, which is described and perpetuated on and by the neighbouring pillar, erected Anno 1680, in the mayoralty of SirPatience Ward,knight.[5]
After the Great Fire
editAfter the Great Fire of London, shops and stalls set up trade forming arcades on the harbour's west side, whilst on the mainquay,an open market soon developed, called "Roomland".
Fish market
edit
Billingsgate Fish Marketwas formally established by an Act ofParliamentin 1699 to be "a free and open market for all sorts of fish whatsoever".[6]Oranges,lemons,andSpanish onionswere also landed there, alongside the other main commodities,coalandsalt.In 1849, the fish market was moved off the streets into its own riverside building, which was subsequently demolished (c. 1873) and replaced by an arcaded-market hall (designed by City architectHorace Jones,built byJohn Mowlem) in 1875.[3]
In 1982, Billingsgate Fish Market was relocated to its present location close toCanary Wharfin east London. Theoriginal riverside market buildingwas then refurbished by thearchitectRichard Rogersto provide office accommodation and an entertainment venue.[7]
The raucous cries of the fish vendors gave rise to the wordBillingsgateas a synonym for profanity or offensive language.[8]
Within the Ward are theCustoms Houseand theWatermen's Hall,built in 1780 and the city's only survivingGeorgianLivery companyhall.Centennium House[9]in Lower Thames Street hasRoman bathswithin its basement foundations.
Churches
editWithin the Ward remain twochurches:St Mary-at-Hill[10]andSt Margaret Pattens,[11]after the demolition ofSt George Botolph Lanein 1904.[12]
Politics
editBillingsgate is one of theCity's 25 Wards returning anAldermanand twoCommon Councilmen(the City equivalent of aCouncillor) to theCity of London Corporation,the elected in March 2022 were Luis Felipe Tilleria and Nighat Qureishi.[13]
In popular culture
editLord Blackadder,the titular hero ofBlackadder II,is said to have resided at Billingsgate, and inThackeray'sVanity Fair(Ch. 3),Mr. Sedley has "brought home the bestturbotin Billingsgate ".
Billingsgate is also referred to in the song "Sister Suffragette"in the 1964 version ofMary Poppins.
Due to the real and perceived vulgar language used by thefishmongers,whichFrancis Grosereferred to in hisDictionary of the Vulgar Tongue,Billingsgate came to be used as a noun—billingsgate—referring to coarse or foul language.
References
edit- ^Historia Regum Britanniae,III.ii.
- ^Spelling was not standardised until much later: Borer 1978.
- ^ab"Billingsgate history".Archived fromthe originalon 22 June 2007.Retrieved21 May2007.
- ^The name was derived from the butchers in Eastcheap "having their scalding house for hogs there; and their puddings with other filth being conveyed thence down to their dung boats in the Thames": Stow.
- ^abBook 2, Ch. 7: "Billingsgate Ward",A New History of London: Including Westminster and Southwark(1773), pp. 551-53accessed: 21 May 2007
- ^Billie Cohen (January 2005). "Lox, Stock and Barrel".National Geographic Magazine.
- ^James Stephen Finn."Old Billingsgate".Old Billingsgate.Retrieved21 December2016.
- ^"billingsgate - Word of the Day | Dictionary".Dictionary.reference.12 June 2006.Retrieved21 December2016.
- ^"Home - Centennium House".Archived fromthe originalon 17 May 2014.Retrieved4 August2014.
- ^Built by Wren, but gutted in 1941 (Whinney)
- ^So called after the templates that were used by the clogmakers of the district (Reynolds)
- ^As the resident population of the area declined (Huelin).
- ^"Your Councillors".City of London Corporation.Retrieved17 October2022.
External links
edit
- Ward Constable profile
- Ward map
- Ward ClubArchived18 May 2015 at theWayback Machine
- Map of Early Modern London: Billingsgate Ward- Historical Map and Encyclopedia of Shakespeare's London (Scholarly)
Bibliography
edit- The City of London: A HistoryBorer M I C, New York, D.McKay Co, 1978ISBN0-09-461880-1
- Vanished churches of the City of LondonHuelin G, London, Guildhall Library Publishing 1996ISBN0900422424
- The Churches of the City of LondonReynolds H London, Bodley Head, 1922
- A Survey of London, Vol IStow J p. 427 Originally, 1598: this edn-London, A.Fullarton & Co, 1890
- Wren,Whinney M, London, Thames & Hudson, 1971ISBN0-500-20112-9