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Wood Street Compter

1555 establishments in England1666 disestablishmentsDebtors' prisonsDefunct prisons in LondonDemolished prisons
Former buildings and structures in the City of London
ONL (1887) 1.366 Wood Street Compter, 1793
ONL (1887) 1.366 Wood Street Compter, 1793

The Wood Street Compter (or Wood Street Counter) was a small prison within the City of London in England. It was primarily a debtors' prison, and also held people accused of such misdemeanours as public drunkenness, although some wealthier prisoners were able to obtain alcohol through bribery. The prison was built and opened in 1555, replacing the earlier Bread Street Compter, from which many prisoners were transferred. Wood Street was closed and replaced by Giltspur Street Compter in 1791.The Compter was originally one of two prisons, the other, the Poultry Compter, located on the Poultry. Both were destroyed during the Great Fire of London in 1666, although the Poultry Compter was rebuilt, and another compter, Giltspur Street Compter was constructed in 1791. The Wood Street Compter was still active in 1727 when The London Gazette (6 July p4) listed 13 insolvent debtors awaiting court on 25 August. During the closure of the compters, debtors were held in prisons in Southwark, including the Marshalsea and King's Bench Prisons, Borough Compter and Horsemonger Lane Gaol. Some wine cellars on Mitre Court were marketed as a party venue under the name of "The City Compter" but these appear to date from the mid 18th century; no sign of the prison was found during archaeological investigations of the site of a new office block at One Wood Street.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Wood Street Compter (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Wood Street Compter
Gresham Street, City of London

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Latitude Longitude
N 51.515277777778 ° E -0.094166666666667 °
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Gresham Street 20
EC2V 7JE City of London
England, United Kingdom
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ONL (1887) 1.366 Wood Street Compter, 1793
ONL (1887) 1.366 Wood Street Compter, 1793
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Wood Street, London
Wood Street, London

Wood Street is a street in the City of London, the historic centre and primary financial district of London. It originates in the south at a junction with Cheapside; heading north it crosses Gresham Street and London Wall. The northernmost end runs alongside The Postern, part of the Barbican estate, stopping at Andrewes House. Today Wood Street lies within the wards of Bassishaw (north of Gresham Street) and Cheap (south of Gresham Street). The street was originally the main north–south route through the Roman Fort, which was discovered after World War II bombing. The north gate of the fort became Cripplegate, the south gate of the fort was just south of the junction with Love Lane, and the road diverts slightly to the east suggesting that the gate was blocked up or in use, and they had to knock through the Roman fort wall to allow Wood Street to continue. It has been suggested that this was an early road after the so-called Alfredian restoration of the City in around 886 AD. The road led from the main port at Queenhithe (Bread Street) to the main market street at Cheapside and then on north to Cripplegate and out of London to the north. Wood Street is the location of the headquarters of the City of London Police, at its corner with Love Lane. There is a tower on a traffic island in the middle of the street, which is all that remains of the church of St Alban, Wood Street. Other notable buildings include 88 Wood Street, and the hall of the Worshipful Company of Pewterers on nearby Oat Lane.

St Peter, Westcheap
St Peter, Westcheap

St Peter, Westcheap, also called "St Peter Cheap", "St Peter at the Cross in Cheap", or "Ecclesia S. Petri de Wodestreet", was a parish and parish church of medieval origins in the City of London. The church stood at the south-west corner of Wood Street where it opens onto Cheapside, directly facing the old Cheapside Cross. In its heyday it was a familiar landmark where the City waits used to stand on the roof and play as the great processions went past. It was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666, together with most of its surroundings, and was never rebuilt. In its place three shops were built on the Cheapside frontage in 1687, and the land behind continued to be used as a burial-ground and garden, which was enclosed with railings in 1712. The ancient Cheapside plane tree grows there, and with the group of houses and garden survived the Second Great Fire of London in December 1940. The garden is still maintained for public use. Here William Wordsworth was moved to write of "Poor Susan" who, hearing the song of a thrush in the busy London thoroughfare, was transported by the vision of a stream flowing through the fields and her solitary cottage in the countryside. The small parish of St Peter Westcheap lay on the north of Cheapside, between the lower ends of Gutter Lane in the west and Wood Street in the east, and enclosed the whole of Goldsmith Street. It was mainly in the Ward of Farringdon Within, but also touched on Bread Street Ward and Cripplegate Ward. After the Fire it was united with St Matthew Friday Street (to the south of Cheapside). That church was demolished in 1885 and the parishes were united with St Vedast Foster Lane.

Honey Lane Market
Honey Lane Market

Honey Lane Market was an historic market near Cheapside in the City of London.It was built at the south end of Milk Street on the site of the parish church of St Mary Magdalen and All Hallows Honey Lane after the areas destruction in the Great Fire of London in 1666, and the market took over the area. The market at one time had 105 butchers' stalls. Edward Hatton noted in 1708 that the market was known for its meat, fish, and poultry.By 1835, the City of London School was built on part of the market site facing Milk Street on the corner with Russia Row. It was paid for with money bequeathed for the purpose by John Carpenter, city clerk in the reign of King Henry V. The school grew rapidly and in 1883 it moved to larger quarters on the Victoria Embankment.It was noted in 1927 that the market "retains much of its original semi-enclosed plan". There were many food shops, "though wholesale premises are gradually encroaching on the space".Honey Lane was completely destroyed and the surrounding area seriously damaged by German bombing on 29 December 1940.In the postwar reconstruction the market fell within a parcel of land (along with Milk Street Buildings, Freeman's Court, Trump Street and Lawrence Lane) covering 53,434 square feet, referred to as No. 11. The cost of reconstruction of the parcel of land was estimated at £520,500 (in 1952) with costs to tax payers turned into a surplus by 2013.The current Honey Lane, a breezeway, is approximately 100 feet east of the old one and connects Cheapside and Trump Street.