93-580: Exeter Hall was a large public meeting place on the north side of the Strand in central London, opposite where the Savoy Hotel now stands. From 1831 until 1907 Exeter Hall was the venue for many great gatherings of activists for various causes, most notably the anti-slavery movement and the meeting of the Anti–Corn Law League in 1846. London in the 19th century was the most populous city in
186-500: A Piccadilly line station (which was renamed Aldwych station ) that operated between 1907 and 1994 and a former Northern line station which today forms part of Charing Cross station . 'Strand Bridge' was the name given to Waterloo Bridge during its construction; it was renamed for its official opening on the second anniversary of the coalition victory in the Battle of Waterloo . London buses routes 23 , 139 and 176 all run along
279-498: A group of tourists staying the night at Trafalgar Square while about to embark for the Rhineland . The chorus of "Let's all go down the Strand – have a banana" is now recognised as a stereotypical part of Cockney music hall and parodied by English comedian Bill Bailey . John Betjeman used the title of the song for a television documentary made for Associated-Rediffusion in 1967. The same year, Margaret Williams used it for
372-520: A leading "The", but formally without ) is a major street in the City of Westminster , Central London . The street, which is part of London's West End theatreland , runs just over 3 ⁄ 4 mile (1.2 km) from Trafalgar Square eastwards to Temple Bar , where it becomes Fleet Street in the City of London , and is part of the A4 , a main road running west from inner London. The road's name comes from
465-492: A loss how to occupy it, and where to sit in it, whether backwards or forwards, upright or lounging, to the right or to the left. Those who have seen it tenanted by Lord Winchelsea , will agree that few sit there with greater dignity, or appear more advantageously to themselves. To the right and left are common mahogany chairs for the speakers, and behind these are rows of high-backed benches, rising gradually above each other, and intersected by two flights of steps, which extend from
558-667: A meeting place, Exeter Hall was also the headquarters of the YMCA (founded in 1844), a concert hall for the Sacred Harmonic Society in 1834, and the venue from 1848 to 1850 of the Wednesday Concerts . Hector Berlioz first conducted concerts there in 1852, and again in 1855. Exeter Hall was sold by the YMCA to the J. Lyons & Co. group, which assumed ownership on 27 July 1907. Lyons demolished it and built
651-435: A scheme for building an immense edifice, which should contain a room large enough to hold any meeting, however numerous, with a smaller hall for lesser audiences, and a variety of committee rooms and offices, to be occupied by several societies, then crowded into the house. No. 32, Sackville Street , Piccadilly, and in other private buildings. The site of Exeter Change, in the Strand, was selected, as central and convenient, and
744-437: A second peal of cheers succeeding, before the echoes of the first have died away, the noise altogether has been of a nature that few persons could bear unmoved. The Hall is lighted by a range of large square-cornered windows along its left side, at a height of fourteen or fifteen feet from the ground, and also by sliding windows in the top, which serve besides as ventilators. The roof is very lofty and handsomely ornamented, and in
837-484: A shop at No. 435 in 1891. It moved to No. 391 in 1893, and is now currently based at No. 399. The Strand Palace Hotel was designed by F.J.Wills and constructed in 1925–1930. The entrance was rebuilt in 1968, with the original being moved to the Victoria and Albert Museum . The Strand underwent extensive redevelopment in the mid-20th century. The length of road from St Mary's eastwards up to St Clement's
930-429: A stage comedy. Australian-born composer Percy Grainger used the name for his 1911 piano trio Handel in the Strand . Virginia Woolf wrote about the Strand in several of her essays, including "Street Haunting: A London Adventure," and the novel Mrs. Dalloway . T. S. Eliot alluded to the Strand in his 1905 poem "At Graduation" and in his 1922 poem "The Waste Land" (part III, The Fire Sermon, v. 258: "and along
1023-546: Is considerable evidence of occupation to the north of Aldwych, but much along the former foreshore has been covered by rubble from the demolition of the Tudor Somerset Place, a former royal residence, to create a large platform for the building of the first Somerset House , in the 17th century. The landmark Eleanor's Cross was built in the 13th century at the western end of the Strand at Charing Cross by Edward I commemorating his wife Eleanor of Castile . It
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#17327658890281116-623: Is formed from the Old English word 'strond', meaning the edge of a river. Initially it referred to the shallow bank of the once much wider Thames, before the construction of the Victoria Embankment . The name was later applied to the road itself. In the 13th century it was known as 'Densemanestret' or 'street of the Danes', referring to the community of Danes in the area. Two London Underground stations were once named Strand:
1209-626: Is now the Scottish Bible Society . This and another similar 1831 controversy about Unitarians holding significant Society offices resulted in a minority separating to form the Trinitarian Bible Society . The Bible Society extended its work to England, India, Europe and beyond. Protestant communities in many European countries (such as Croatia and Albania ) date back to the work of nineteenth-century BFBS Bible salesmen. Auxiliary branches were set up all over
1302-579: The Anti-Slavery Society (founded in 1823) took place there, and such was the significance of these political meetings that the phrase "Exeter Hall" became a metonym for the abolitionist lobby . Significant events there included a huge seven-hour public meeting hosted by the South Australia Company on 30 June 1834 to support the establishment of the free colony of South Australia . On 10 May 1871, "a meeting in support of
1395-641: The Bible Society , is a non-denominational Christian Bible society with charity status whose purpose is to make the Bible available throughout the world. The Society was formed on 7 March 1804 by a group of people including William Wilberforce and Thomas Charles to encourage the "wider circulation and use" of the Scriptures. Bibles published by the BFBS have on their front page as publisher's name
1488-548: The Bishop of Carlisle , Salisbury House, used for royal lodgings in the 15th and 16th centuries, Bedford House demolished in 1704, Hungerford House, which was demolished and replaced, in turn, by Hungerford Market and Charing Cross station and Northumberland House , a large Jacobean mansion, the historic London residence of the Dukes of Northumberland ; built in 1605 and demolished in 1874. Northumberland Avenue now occupies
1581-744: The Buffalo Emporium and General Advertiser (NY) , stated that the BFBS "since its establishment, has distributed 1,723,251 Bibles, and 2,529,114 Testaments — making a total of 4,252,365." From the early days, the Society sought to be ecumenical and non-sectarian. The Controversy in 1825–26 about the Apocrypha and the Metrical Psalms resulted in the secession of the Glasgow and Edinburgh Bible Societies, which later formed what
1674-565: The Old English strond , meaning the beach or edge of a river, as it historically ran alongside the north bank of the River Thames . The river side of the street was home to grand houses, interspersed with slum alleys, between the 12th and 17th centuries. Historically important mansions built between the Strand and the river included Essex House , Arundel House , Old Somerset House , Savoy Palace , Durham House , York House and Cecil House , none of which survive. The aristocracy moved to
1767-614: The River Thames , to Temple Bar which is the boundary between the two cities at this point; the road ahead being Fleet Street . Traffic travelling eastbound follows a short crescent around Aldwych , connected at both ends to the Strand. The road marks the southern boundary of the Covent Garden district and forms part of the Northbank business improvement district . The name was first recorded in 1002 as strondway , then in 1185 as Stronde and in 1220 as la Stranda . It
1860-595: The Strand Palace Hotel in its place, opening in September 1909. The following is from 1838: [The Freemasons Hall ] is capable of containing 1600 persons, but as such accommodation was even then very insufficient for the numbers who wished to attend the meetings, ladies were excluded from those of the Bible Society ; and at the Church Missionary , and other popular anniversaries, the crowd
1953-486: The West End during the 17th century, and the Strand became known for its coffee shops, restaurants and taverns. The street was a centre point for theatre and music hall during the 19th century, and several venues have survived to the current day. At the east end of the street are two English Baroque churches: St Mary le Strand by James Gibbs and St Clement Danes by Christopher Wren . This easternmost stretch of
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#17327658890282046-513: The 1620s it was acquired by the royal favourite George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham , and after an interlude during the Civil War it was returned to George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham , who sold it to developers in 1672. It was then demolished and new streets and buildings built on the site, including George Street, Villiers Street , Duke Street, Of Alley, and Buckingham Street. Cecil House , also called Exeter House or Burghley House,
2139-418: The 1850s and edited the journal Westminster Review from 1851. George Eliot lived at No. 142 between 1851 and 1855. Virginia Woolf regularly travelled along the Strand, and a King's College building named after her is in nearby Kingsway . The Strand is the subject of a famous music hall song " Let's All Go Down the Strand ", composed by Harry Castling and C. W. Murphy . The song opens with
2232-646: The 18th century until it was demolished in 1775. The house was rebuilt as a series of government buildings. The Stamp Office, later to become the Inland Revenue was established in Somerset House in 1789. In the late 20th century, a number of art galleries were set up on vacant parts, including the Courtauld Institute of Art and the King's College London School of Law . Savoy Palace was
2325-546: The 21st century, only the Adelphi, Vaudeville and Savoy remain. The Piccadilly branch line from Holborn to Aldwych was built partly to serve theatre traffic. The Coal Hole tavern was founded at No. 91 in the early 19th century, and frequented by coal-heavers working on the Thames. The impresario Renton Nicholson held song-and-supper evenings at the inn, featuring tableaux vivants . The actor Edmund Kean established
2418-571: The BFBS "has been 82,000,000...during the last seventy-five years" (since 1804). By 1909 it had issued 215,000,000 copies of the Bible. During World War One the Bible Society distributed more than nine million copies of Scripture, in over 80 languages, to combatants and prisoners of war on all sides of the war. The Bible Society managed this despite immense challenges – supply shortages, rising paper costs, paper rationing, submarine blockades and
2511-546: The BFBS's name translated into the text's language, e.g. "Société biblique britannique et étrangère" on Louis Segond 's French Bible or "Brita kaj Alilanda Biblia Societo" on the Esperanto bible compiled from L. L. Zamenhof 's papers after the latter's death. The British and Foreign Bible Society dates back to 1804 when a group of Christians, associated with the Religious Tract Society , sought to address
2604-633: The Blitz but was in poor shape until John Betjeman led a campaign to restore it in the 1970s. Essex Street Chapel , the birthplace of British Unitarianism , abuts onto the Strand. The original chapel was built in 1774, but damaged in the Blitz. It was restored after the war, and now serves as the denominational headquarters of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches . The print seller Rudolph Ackermann lived and worked at No. 101 The Strand between 1797 and 1827. His shop
2697-499: The City of London to be more likely. St Mary le Strand was designed by James Gibbs and completed in 1717, to replace a previous church demolished to make way for Somerset House. It was the first building to be designed by Gibbs, who was influenced by Wren and Michelangelo . The column on top of the church was originally designed to support a statue of Queen Anne , but was replaced with a spire following Anne's death in 1714. It survived
2790-671: The Exeter 'Change, as it was known, the site had been occupied since the 16th century by part of Exeter House (formerly Burghley House and Cecil House), the London residence of the Earls of Exeter . The official opening date for Exeter Hall was 29 March 1831. The façade on The Strand featured a prominent recessed central entrance behind a screen of paired Corinthian columns set into a reserved Late Georgian front of housing over shopfronts. The smaller auditorium could hold around 1,000 people, and
2883-593: The Great Fire in 1666, but was declared unsafe and rebuilt by Christopher Wren in 1679. The building was damaged during the Blitz in 1941, gutting much of the interior, and was rebuilt in 1958 by Sam Lloyd, since when it has served as the central church of the Royal Air Force . The church is one of two possible origins for the "St Clement's" in the nursery rhyme " Oranges and Lemons ", though more contemporary accounts suggest St Clement's, Eastcheap in
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2976-615: The London residence of John of Gaunt , King Richard II 's uncle and the nation's power broker. In the 14th century the Savoy was the most magnificent nobleman's mansion in England. During the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, rebels, led by Wat Tyler , inflamed by opposition to the poll tax promoted by John of Gaunt, systematically demolished the Savoy and everything in it. In 1512 it was rebuilt as
3069-626: The Queen's Building opened in 1968. The architect John Nash redeveloped the western end of the Strand in the 1830s, including the construction of Charing Cross Hospital , later (1990s) converted for use as Charing Cross police station . The street became well known for theatres, and at one point contained more than any other; including the Tivoli Music Hall at No. 65, the Adelphi , Gaiety , Savoy , Terry's and Vaudeville . In
3162-552: The Red Cross among sick and wounded soldiers, sailors and prisoners of war. On average between 6–7,000 volumes were sent out every working day for fighting men, the sick and wounded, the prisoners of war, exiles and refugees. That's over four copies distributed each minute, day and night, for the duration of the war. Translation work never stopped – between August 1914 and November 1918, the Bible Society printed Scriptures in 34 new languages and dialects. This meant on average there
3255-483: The Savoy Hospital for the poor. It gradually fell into dereliction and was divided into multiple tenancies. It was demolished in 1816–1820 to build the approach road to Waterloo Bridge . eventually being demolished in the 19th century. The Savoy Hotel now occupies this site. Durham House , the historic London residence of the Bishop of Durham , was built circa 1345 and demolished in the mid-17th century. It
3348-606: The Strand is also home to King's College , one of the two founding colleges of the University of London . Other notable structures include the Royal Courts of Justice and Australia House . Several authors, poets and philosophers have lived on or near the Strand, including Charles Dickens , Ralph Waldo Emerson and Virginia Woolf . The street is the main link between the two cities of Westminster and London . It runs eastward from Trafalgar Square , parallel to
3441-544: The Strand, as do numerous night bus services. During Roman Britain , what is now the Strand was part of the route to Silchester , known as "Iter VIII" on the Antonine Itinerary , and which later became known by the name Akeman Street . It was briefly part of a trading town called Lundenwic that developed around 600 AD, and stretched from Trafalgar Square to Aldwych . Alfred the Great gradually moved
3534-409: The Strand, leads into a wide interior space, from whence ascend two curved flights of stairs, one on each side, which meet in one broad straight flight above, leading to the great hall, and under the junction of which opens a spacious passage. This joins, at right angles, the passage from the side entrance, so that the ground plan of these passages resembles a capital T, with rooms opening on each side of
3627-672: The Strand, up Queen Victoria Street"). John Masefield also referred to a "jostling in the Strand" in his poem "On Growing Old". The poem "Buses on the Strand", written in 1958 by Richard Percival Lister , featured in TFL 's "Poems on the Underground" scheme in 2013, appearing in tube carriages all over London. The scheme celebrated of the 150th year of the London Underground with works by poets with close London connections. The Strand Magazine , which began publishing in 1891,
3720-670: The Wolf Club at the venue, which is now commemorated by the Wolf Room. Charing Cross railway station was built on the Strand in 1864, providing a boat train service to Europe, which stimulated the growth of hotels in the area to cater for travellers. These included the Charing Cross Hotel, attached to the station itself. Today, there are several luggage outlets and tourist agents on the Strand, as well as old postage stamp dealers. The philatelist Stanley Gibbons opened
3813-629: The alleyways around the Strand were regular haunts for pickpockets and prostitutes during this time. The Rose Tavern, at the eastern end of the street, was frequented by lawyers during the 18th century. It was later demolished and became Thanet Place. The Crown and Anchor in Arundel Street was the main meeting place for the Catholic Association, and helped established the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 . It
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3906-428: The centre is a large square elevation, around which are placed the ventilating windows, which open or shut from the leads outside. The Lower Hall has no such advantage, and is ventilated by the ordinary windows, placed on each side of the room; one range opening into the back street, and the other into the main cross-passage of the building. It is similar to the larger Hall, excepting that it has no raised seats ; and
3999-609: The church of the Nativity of Our Lady and the Innocents in the process. After Somerset was executed in 1552, it became an occasional residence for Princess Elizabeth . When she became Queen in 1558, she returned part of the house to Seymour's family (with ownership passing to his son, Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford ); the remainder was an occasional meeting place for the Royal Society. After Elizabeth's death in 1603, it
4092-495: The college acquired Strand House, Bush House and other buildings in the Aldwych Quarter. The Royal Courts of Justice , at the eastern end of the Strand, was designed in the mid-1860s by G.E. Street as a replacement for the older courts at Westminster Hall , though construction was so delayed that he died shortly before Queen Victoria opened the courts in 1882. The West Green extension to the courts opened in 1911, while
4185-421: The deep recesses behind the platform. The scene visible from thence is truly magnificent. Below you lies the platform, slanting downwards, and extending into a crescent shape, with its crowds, sitting or standing; beyond them is the large flat surface of the area, its close benches all filled, and the avenues among them occupied by chairs, or by persons who are fain to stand, for want of sitting-room. Behind this are
4278-524: The fabric, known as Exeter Hall, was completed in 1831. It is a large building, but from its very narrow frontage towards the Strand, is likely, at first sight, to disappoint those who come to London with their ideas of its exterior formed from what they have heard of its interior dimensions. It has scarcely any visible front, excepting a lofty entrance, between two handsome Corinthian pillars; so that many persons, who have intended to visit it, have passed by its entrance without perceiving that any public building
4371-767: The foreign missions of the Free Church of Scotland , and of the Presbyterian Church of England " was hosted in Exeter Hall. The former Lieutenant Governor of Punjab in British India , Donald Friell McLeod , presided over the meeting, which featured speakers such as Rev. H. L. Mackenzie , of the Swatow Mission in China (now transliterated Shantou ). In addition to its primary function as
4464-511: The front row up to the entrances at the back. At upper corners are covered staircases, communicating with these entrances, the tops of which formerly joined the sunk galleries, and were often occupied by rows of ladies, more adventurous or less punctual than the rest. The platform is nominally appropriated to gentlemen, but the more curious sex seldom fail to get admittance there, in limited (or sometimes in large) numbers. This original plan of Exeter Hall was, however, found insufficient to accommodate
4557-408: The gallery of the lesser Hall, the raised seats of the large Hall, to its side-doors, (beneath the platform), to the platform itself, and to the sunk galleries. These numerous staircases and passages render the back part of the building somewhat intricate; and strangers are constantly losing their way among them. When any large meeting is held, door-keepers, policemen, and other persons are stationed at
4650-744: The gallery, platform, &c., are all on a smaller scale, suited to the size of the apartment. A gallery extends round that part of the first floor which is not occupied by the Upper Hall, from which open the offices of the Jews (A reference to the London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews, a Jewish Christian missionary society now known as the Church's Ministry Among Jewish People or CMJ) , District Visiting, Hibernian , European Missionary, and other societies. Stairs from thence lead to
4743-723: The large and ornamental bars of which, placed about one foot from each other, are connected at top by a thick mahogany spar. In the centre of its front row stands the chair, which in form much resembles that of King Edward the Confessor, in Westminster Abbey . It is of handsomely carved mahogany, with massy open elbows, and is cushioned, in the seat and back, with purple leather. Its dimensions are very large, and any gentleman of small, or even of moderate size, who may preside, can never be said to fill it. Very few chairmen appear to advantage there; some seem lost in it, others, at
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#17327658890284836-485: The largest collection of Bibles in the world, with about 39,000 items. It includes its Chinese Collection which is the largest collection of Chinese Scriptures anywhere in the world. Since the society's move to Swindon in 1985 the library has been located in the library of the University of Cambridge . The Society's mission is global. Its work is organised into two categories: domestic and international. The Society
4929-666: The main one, more than 4,000. Exeter Hall hosted religious and philanthropic meetings, including those of the British and Foreign Bible Society (founded in 1804), the Protestant Reformation Society (founded in 1827), the Protestant Association (revived in 1835), and the Trinitarian Bible Society (founded in 1831). The Peace Society (founded in 1816) used the hall to hold their twentieth anniversary meeting on 25 May 1836. The meetings of
5022-463: The overflowing audiences who crowded thither; and in 1834-5, a large and heavy gallery was erected at the back of the raised seats, supported by the four massive pillars which stand near the mouths of the upper stairs. In 1836-7, the front comers of the platform were extended forwards, into galleries, reaching half way down the area, along the walls; that to the left of the Chair is merely a continuation of
5115-399: The platform itself, but that to the right is railed off for lady-friends of the Presidents and Committee, and is entered by a small back stair. With all this enlargement, however, the Hall is still insufficient for the crowds who often flock thither, as is well known by the audiences of the various Missionary and some other societies. When the room is quite filled, the finest view of it is from
5208-427: The problem of a lack of affordable Bibles in Welsh for Welsh-speaking Christians. Many young girls had walked long distances to Thomas Charles to get copies of the Bible. Later the story was told of one of them – a young girl called Mary Jones who walked over 20 miles to get a Bible in Bala, Gwynedd . BFBS was not the first Bible Society in the world. The first organisation in Britain to be called "The Bible Society"
5301-502: The production of Remonstrance of the Army , demanding the abolition of the monarchy and the trial of King Charles I . In the 18th century, coffee and chop houses were established on the street; Twinings was established at No. 206 in 1706 by Thomas Twining, supplier of tea to Queen Anne. The company claims to be the oldest ratepayer in Westminster. The Grecian Coffee House ran from around 1702 to 1803, while Tom's ran from 1706 to around 1775. Though these premises were well-known,
5394-441: The raised seats, galleries, and platform of the larger hall, and also round the gallery leading to the first floor offices, are situated behind the rooms Nos. 8 and 9, occupied by the Reformation Society. The large room of Exeter Hall was built to contain 4000 persons, with a splendid range of raised seats, to the left of the main entrance, a spacious area in front of it, and a platform, which of itself will accommodate 500 persons, to
5487-418: The raised seats, gradually appearing one behind another, and equal to half the size of the whole room; all again fully crowded, and the descending steps among the benches filled by the standing multitude. Over their heads, the whole scene is crowned by the back gallery, at a height of many feet, behind the crimson draperies which extend among the pillars, and this is completely full also. Those who wish to realize
5580-414: The right. At the back of the platform were formerly two sunk galleries, like the side-boxes of a theatre, which were opened or closed at pleasure, by means of moveable planks, which may be put aside during the progress of a meeting. They are now thrown completely open. The platform itself is elevated about six feet above the floor of the area, or central seats, and is finished in front by a handsome iron rail;
5673-439: The saying of "a sea of heads", should take this view of Exeter Hall, on some popular occasion. When such an assembly rises, for prayer or praise, at the beginning or end of a meeting, the sight is still more stupendous; and the degree of sound they are able to produce, in the way of cheering or singing, is almost incredible. There have been occasions when that vast room has rung with the voices of those assembled within its walls; and
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#17327658890285766-408: The settlement into the old Roman town of Londinium from around 886 AD onwards, leaving no mark of the old town, and the area returned to fields. In the Middle Ages , the Strand became the principal route between the separate settlements of the City of London (the civil and commercial centre) and the royal Palace of Westminster (the national political centre). In the archaeological record, there
5859-407: The sinking of merchant shipping. Even greater than these physical difficulties was the emotional toll – former colleagues suddenly found themselves fighting on opposing sides. Bible salesmen throughout Europe were conscripted or volunteered into their respective armies. The Bible Society responded to the challenge. They printed New Testaments bound in khaki, stamped with a cross, for distribution via
5952-438: The site. The official residence of the Secretary of State, next door at No. 1 the Strand, became the first numbered address in London. Apart from the rebuilt Somerset House, all of these buildings have been demolished and replaced from the 17th century onwards. A New Exchange was built on part of the gardens of Durham House, in 1608–1609, facing the Strand. This high-class shopping centre enjoyed considerable popularity but
6045-400: The skeleton was later put on display. The exchange was demolished in 1829, with the menagerie moving to the Surrey Zoological Gardens , and replaced by Exeter Hall , noted for its Evangelical meetings. This was demolished in 1907, and the site is now occupied by the Strand Palace Hotel . Other significant palaces along the Strand include Worcester House, formerly the Inn, or residence, of
6138-622: The smaller one below; as they are situated immediately under the right side of the large Hall. Should the applause over-head not be very loud, it seems to arise from the lower Room, and many an inexperienced speaker has paused for his hearers to cease their cheers, when in reality the noise came from above, and had no reference to him whatever, but was addressed to some orator up stairs, perhaps expressing opinions diametrically opposed to his own… 51°30′40″N 0°07′16″W / 51.511°N 0.121°W / 51.511; -0.121 Strand, London The Strand (commonly referred to with
6231-436: The street. The prominent bookseller Andrew Millar is an example of one of the most successful publishers who owned a shop there. In the 19th century, much of the Strand was rebuilt, and the houses to the south no longer backed onto the Thames and no longer had direct boat access, separated from the river by the Victoria Embankment constructed in 1865–1870 and reclaiming 37 acres (15 ha) of land. King's College, London
6324-442: The upper line. On the lower floor are the smaller hall, (a room said to be capable of containing 1000 persons, the gallery included,) the offices of the Reformation Society, that of the Protestant Association, &c., with a room now called the Directors' Room, in which those committees, whose offices are in distant parts of London, assemble to proceed to the hall, when they hold their public meetings there. The back-stairs, leading to
6417-401: The various stairs, to receive the tickets, and direct the company to their different destinations. Notwithstanding this, confusion often arises when, both Halls are occupied at once, which is constantly the case during the early part of May. Another inconvenience attending such occasions is, that the plaudits of the upper and larger audience frequently drown the voices of those who are addressing
6510-460: The world, and yet its indoor meeting places were inadequate. The largest, the Freemasons' Hall , could only fit about 1600 people, so a consortium decided that it was time to build a larger venue. Exeter Hall was erected between 1829 and 1831 to designs by John Peter Gandy , the brother of the visionary architect Joseph Michael Gandy . The hall was built on the site of Exeter Exchange , which had been famous for its menagerie of wild animals; prior to
6603-574: The world, in the church and through the culture. The strategy of the Bible Society centres on Bible availability, accessibility and credibility - what it calls the 'lifecycle' of the Bible. These strategic approaches encompass all of its activity: translation, production, distribution, literacy, engagement and advocacy. To these aims the Society was the original publisher of translations the Bible into several contemporary languages, among which Louis Segond 's French Bible (1910) and L. L. Zamenhof 's Bible in Esperanto (1926). The Bible Society has by far
6696-489: The world, which later became Bible Societies in their own right, and today operate in co-operation as part of the United Bible Societies . The Bible Society is a non-denominational Christian network which works to translate, revise, print, and distribute affordable Bibles in England and Wales. A newspaper article in the 15 March 1879 edition of The Gazette (Montreal) , noted that the total circulation by
6789-537: Was abolished in October 1900 and became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Westminster . From the 12th century onwards, large mansions lined the Strand including several palaces and townhouses inhabited by bishops and royal courtiers, mainly on the south side, with their own river gates and landings directly on the Thames. The road was poorly maintained, with many pits and sloughs, and a paving order
6882-402: Was built in the 16th century by Lord Burghley as an expansion of an existing Tudor house. Exeter House was demolished in 1676 and Exeter Exchange built on the site. A menagerie was built on the upper floors in 1773, which was later run by Edward Cross , who housed lions, tigers, monkeys and hippopotami. In 1826, an elephant, Chunee , nearly broke free from its cage and had to be destroyed;
6975-524: Was converted into a two-way street. The church of St Clement Danes is believed to date from the 9th century. The name may have come from Harold Harefoot , a Danish king who ruled England around 1035–1040 and is buried in the church, or from a place of refuge for Danes after the conquest of Alfred the Great . It was transferred to the Order of the Knights Templar by Henry II in 1189. It survived
7068-651: Was demolished in 1647 by the request of Parliament during the First English Civil War , but reconstructed in 1865. The west part of the Strand was in the parish of St Martin in the Fields and in the east it extended into the parishes of St Clement Danes and St Mary le Strand . Most of its length was in the Liberty of Westminster , although part of the eastern section in St Clement Danes
7161-593: Was eventually destroyed in 1737. During the 17th century, many of the grand mansions on the Strand were demolished as the aristocracy moved to the West End . The Duck and Drake tavern on Strand was famed as a venue for the conspirators involved in the Gunpowder Plot . In the time of the Civil War, the Nag's Head tavern was the venue of a meeting between Henry Ireton and some of the Levellers which resulted in
7254-680: Was executed in 1549, the property was sold to Henry FitzAlan, Earl of Arundel , and was owned by the Earldom for much of the 16th and 17th century. In 1666, it became the meeting place of the Royal Society after the Great Fire of London destroyed their previous venue. The house was demolished in 1678 and Arundel Street, adjoining the Strand, was built on the site. Somerset House was built by Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset , regent of England from 1547 to 1549, demolishing three inns and
7347-755: Was founded in 1779: it still exists and is called the Naval & Military Bible Society. The first BFBS translation project was the Gospel of John into Mohawk for Canada in 1804. In the British Isles BFBS reprinted Bibles in Welsh, Scots Gaelic and Manx Gaelic first produced by the SPCK . The first Romani translation was the Gospel of Luke into the Caló language of Iberia. A report in the 13 November 1824 edition of
7440-459: Was founded in 1828. The historic King's Building , based next to the church of St Mary-le-Strand , was designed by Robert Smirke and constructed in 1829–1831 to complete the riverside frontage of Somerset House . King's College Hospital opened as a branch of the college in 1840, and became a constituent part of the University of London in 1908. The current campus building was constructed between 1966 and 1972 by E.D. Jefferiss Mathews. In 2015,
7533-545: Was in the Ossulstone hundred of Middlesex. The Strand was the northern boundary of the precinct of the Savoy , which was approximately where the approach to Waterloo Bridge is now. All of these parishes and places became part of the Strand District in 1855, except St Martin in the Fields which was governed separately. The Strand District Board of Works was based at No. 22, Tavistock Street . Strand District
7626-522: Was issued in 1532 to improve traffic. What later became Essex House on the Strand was originally an Outer Temple of the Knights Templar in the 11th century. In 1313, ownership passed to the Knights of St John. Henry VIII gave the house to William, Baron Paget in the early 16th century. Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester , rebuilt the house in 1563, originally calling it Leicester House. It
7719-470: Was later used for Catholic politicians such as Daniel O'Connell to address constituents. The original premises burned down in 1854, but was rebuilt. Simpson's-in-the-Strand originally started at No. 100 in 1828 as a smoking and dining club. It later became a restaurant. The Strand was also notable in the 18th century as a centre for the British book trade, with numerous printers and publishers along
7812-511: Was named after the street. A BBC World Service arts and culture radio series was called The Strand . Bush House , situated on the Strand, was home to the World Service between 1941 and 2012. The standard British Monopoly board has Strand in a group with the nearby Fleet Street and Trafalgar Square . British and Foreign Bible Society The British and Foreign Bible Society , often known in England and Wales as simply
7905-438: Was near them. At those hours when any large meeting is assembling or dispersing, few can mistake Exeter Hall; the living tide, which then pours in or out of its doors, is generally such as to impede the free passage of the Strand on that side; and the line of carriages, which extends far along the street in front, and up to the side entrance, is equally striking, when any great assembly is expected to break up. The grand doorway, in
7998-411: Was one new version every seven weeks during the whole period of war. For many years the headquarters of the society was in London; in 1972 its address was 146, Queen Victoria Street, E.C.4. By 1972 it had published or distributed whole Bibles or parts of the Bible in 1,431 languages. At that time it was distributing 173 million copies each year. The Society is working to circulate the Scriptures across
8091-445: Was one of the first to have gas lighting fitted. In the 19th century, The Strand became a newly fashionable address and many avant-garde writers and thinkers gathered here, among them Thomas Carlyle , Charles Dickens , John Stuart Mill , Ralph Waldo Emerson and the scientist Thomas Henry Huxley . No. 142 was the home of radical publisher and physician John Chapman , who published contemporary authors from this house during
8184-467: Was overwhelming. This was peculiarly inconvenient to the Chairman and speakers; for as the room was always filled long before the time for opening the proceedings, and there is no entrance to the platform but through the body of the hall, the difficulty of reaching the chair, and the speakers' seats, was extreme. It was therefore determined, about the year 1828-9, by some influential persons, to enter into
8277-402: Was owned by Anne of Denmark , wife of James VI and I . The building was renamed Denmark House in commemoration of Anne's brother, Christian IV of Denmark . After James died in 1625, his body lay there intestate for a month. The building was taken over by Parliament in 1645 following the Civil War, renaming it back to Somerset House. It had an irregular series of owners and residents for much of
8370-541: Was renamed Essex House after being inherited by Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex , in 1588. It was demolished around 1674 and Essex Street, leading up to the Strand, was built on the location by property speculator Nicholas Barbon . Arundel House was originally the town house of the Bishops of Bath and Wells . It was owned by William FitzWilliam, 1st Earl of Southampton between 1539 and his death in 1542, with ownership passing to Thomas Seymour in 1545. After Seymour
8463-407: Was subsequently demolished in 1996 and replaced by an office block. In 1998, a statue of Oscar Wilde was built at the junction of Adelaide Street and Duncannon Street, adjoining the western end of the Strand. Between January 2021 and December 2022 Westminster City Council's Strand Aldwych Scheme works took place, pedestrianising Strand between Melbourne Place and Lancaster Place whilst Aldwych
8556-616: Was the home of Anne Boleyn . It had become derelict by the mid-17th century and was demolished in 1660. Durham Street and the Adelphi Buildings were built on its site. York House was built as the London residence for the Bishop of Norwich not later than 1237. At the time of the Reformation it was acquired by King Henry VIII and came to be known as York House when he granted it to the Archbishop of York in 1556. In
8649-399: Was widened in 1900, subsuming the former Holywell Street which forked from the Strand and ran parallel with it to the north, leaving the two churches of St Mary Le Strand and St Clement Danes as islands in the centre of the road. Gaiety Theatre was demolished, to be replaced by Citibank House, while Villiers House and New South Wales House were both built in 1957–1959. New South Wales House
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