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Barton Street and Cowley Street, Westminster

1722 establishments in EnglandGeorgian architecture in the City of WestminsterStreets in the City of WestminsterTransport infrastructure completed in 1722Use British English from December 2024
Cowley Street, London geograph 2305024
Cowley Street, London geograph 2305024

Barton Street and Cowley Street are two short streets in Westminster, London. They were developed in the 18th century by the actor Barton Booth, the former taking his first name, and the latter the name of an estate he owned at Cowley, then in Middlesex to the west of London. The streets' proximity to the Palace of Westminster has made them a popular choice for politicians looking for homes within Parliament's Division bell area; the Liberal politician Walter Runciman lived at No.8, Barton Street in the 20th century, and Jacob Rees-Mogg lives at No.7, Cowley Street in the 21st. They have also attracted other notables including; T. E. Lawrence, who wrote much of his Seven Pillars of Wisdom at No. 14, Barton Street; the actor, John Gielgud, who lived at No. 16, Cowley Street and the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, who had a six-year tenure at No.10, Barton Street. Many of the buildings are listed, most at the second highest grade, II*. Simon Bradley and Nikolaus Pevsner, in the sixth London volume in the Buildings of England series, describe Barton Street and Cowley Street as, "among the most perfect Early Georgian streets in Westminster".

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Barton Street and Cowley Street, Westminster (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Barton Street and Cowley Street, Westminster
Cowley Street, London Millbank

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Wikipedia: Barton Street and Cowley Street, WestminsterContinue reading on Wikipedia

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Latitude Longitude
N 51.4971 ° E -0.1279 °
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Cowley Street 19
SW1P 3NB London, Millbank
England, United Kingdom
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Cowley Street, London geograph 2305024
Cowley Street, London geograph 2305024
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Little Dean's Yard
Little Dean's Yard

Little Dean's Yard, known to Westminster School just as Yard, is a private gated yard at the heart of the school, within the precincts of the ancient monastery of Westminster. It is a secluded enclave on the original Thorney Island, now shared between Westminster Abbey and the Palace of Westminster, and unsuspected by millions of Londoners who pass nearby between Westminster and Victoria. To the East is College Garden (which refers to the collegiate body of Westminster Abbey, and not only to the school), the oldest cultivated garden in England, and formerly the infirmary garden of the monastery. Beyond is the Victoria Tower of the Palace of Westminster, which towers over the Yard. The chimes of Big Ben mark every quarter of every hour. The entrance to the great School, formerly the monks' reredorter, is a stone arch designed by Lord Burlington. A stone path marks the original way, before the rest of Yard was paved, to the low stone tunnel under another row of monastic buildings which leads to Dean's Yard, cars, and the outside world. On the North side of Yard is Ashburnham House, built by Inigo Jones or his pupil John Webb, on the site of the mediaeval Prior's House, parts of which can still be seen. The bricks show the signs of impatient schoolchildren drilling away with coins while awaiting the opening of the school tuck-shop. A wide archway leads through the Dark Cloister to the Abbey, and the school gym. On the South, three Georgian houses accommodate Rigaud's and Grant's houses, and that of the Master of the Queen's Scholars. College to the East was designed by Burlington, with Christopher Wren's approval after his own design was rejected.

College Garden
College Garden

College Garden is a private garden of Westminster Abbey in London, open to the public every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoon throughout the year. The hours are 10 am to 6 pm in summer and 10 am to 4 pm in winter. The garden can be visited separately from the abbey and no charge is made to visit the garden alone. While visiting College Garden, it is also possible to visit the Little Cloister Garden, a small garden with a fountain in the cloisters, and St Catherine's Garden which is in the ruins of the old monastic infirmary. Probably the best time to visit the gardens is in the spring. A thousand years ago, this was the infirmary garden of the monastery, then on Thorney Island, and it is claimed to be the oldest garden in England under continuous cultivation. While the main function of the College Garden is no longer to feed hungry monks, the area still retains an atmosphere of calm, despite being situated in such a busy area. Remembering the Herbarium that the monks created here, a new herb garden was created in 2010. Its current name refers to the Collegiate Church of St. Peter, Westminster Abbey, rather than to its component Westminster School of which Lord Burlington's College Dormitory building forms the west side. The north side is formed by the great hall of Westminster School (originally the monks' dormitory), and the houses of the abbey canons; the east and south sides are a medieval wall with a watergate which formerly opened into the River Thames, now embanked fifty yards away beyond the House of Lords. Just outside the watergate, College Green is often seen in television interviews with politicians.