| Description | Bond in £300 for the performance of convenants contained in Lease and Release of 15-16 January 1801 between: 1. John Henry William Fisher of Bread Street, London, gent. 2. John Hunter of Red Cross Street, St. Botolph's, Aldgate, cooper. Recites Lease and Release of 29-30 September 1720 between (1) John Bugden and John Ede and (2) John Wicker and Samuel Blunt, whereby (1) conveyed to (2) the lordship or manor of Stepney in trust for John Wicker's heirs; and Lease and Release of 13-14 July 1772 between (1) Sir George Colebrook, bart, lord of Stepney Manor, and (2) Anthony Foreman, whereby (1) conveyed to (2) certain pieces of land belonging to Stepney Manor as described in the said indentures. 1. now agrees to convey to 2. a piece of land (44' by 77') on the north side of Fieldgate Street, Whitechapel, for a consideration of £194 5s 0d; the legal heir to Stepney Manor at that time being Francis Scawen Blunt, infant grandson of the said Samuel Blunt. |
| AdminHistory | Until the mid-18th century, Fieldgate Street was Whitechapel's 'field gate'. It marked the edge of the built up district which led across fields to Stepney. The path was dissected by the New Road in 1754 (1). The western section was originally known as Baynes Street, after a local landowner. After he sold up, the area was commonly known as Fieldgate Street, reflecting its earlier rural associations. The Eastern section was built up from 1787 as Charlotte Street, part of the London Hospital Estate (2). Consequently, the area became ripe for development.
In the late 19th century, Charlotte Street was renumbered as Fieldgate Street, by then a hub of local industry, along with sections of Whitechapel Road. This included 2, Fieldgate Street, part of the complex of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry (3). The smithy, stables and coach house located at the rear of 34, Whitechapel Road were replaced by a five-storey workshop and warehouse building c.1840.
The Foundry opened at premises in Aldgate c. 1570. It relocated to Whitechapel in 1740, from where it operated until closure in 2017. The site was recently sold to the Raycliff Capital conglomerate. A vigorous campaign against controversial plans to redevelop the site generated a face-off between protesters and developers, and thus a Public Inquiry was ordered. (4) The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government directed that the planning application be referred to him rather than the local planning authority (5), effectively going 'over the council's head' (6) The resulting (Virtual) Inquiry included the portion of the site bounded by Fieldgate Street and Plumbers Row. The Government favours the recommendation from the Planning Inspector for a hotel development on the site of the listed foundry building. The scheme also proposes the demolition of the unlisted 1980s building at the rear and the building of a seven-storey hotel along Fieldgate Street and Plumbers Row. Sources of information:
1/2 'The Baynes/Forman Estate and the early history of the West End of Fieldgate Street' in surveyoflondon.org 2nd July 2018
3. historyofengland.org.uk
4. 'Clock ticks for future of Whitechapel Bell Foundry as planning inquiry opens on October 5th' : 14th October, 2020 in eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk
5. Application made by Raycliff Whitechapel LLP (under T&CP Act 1990) re. The Bell Foundry: 2, Fieldgate Street and land to the rear : Correspondence re. called-in decision, dated 13th May,2021 to K. Ryder, Planning Lab, Somerset House, signed by A. Lynch on behalf of the Secretary of State (gov.uk)
6. 'Battle lost to save historic Whitechapel Bell Foundry': Thursday 21st May,2021 in eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk |
| CustodialHistory | Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Mr. and Mrs.A.Notley, per Hackney Area Health Authority, 6 Nov. 1896. Accessioned 19 July 1988. |