Hicks Hall
Hicks Hall, or Hickes' Hall, was a
The hall stood at the start of the Great North Road, running from London to York and Edinburgh, and was routinely used as the datum point for measuring mileages along that route.
Prehistory and location
From at least the 1540s, the Middlesex justices regularly held their sessions in an inn at the southern end of St John Street. This was one of the closest points in the county of Middlesex to the City of London, lying immediately north of Smithfield Bar, a tollgate on the City boundary. Two inns were used at different times: the Castle, on the west side of the street, and the Windmill, slightly further north on the east side.[1]
In the 1570s,
Hicks Hall
In 1609, James I was petitioned by the magistrates of Middlesex for a new site for a sessions house.[1] The petition was successful, and this time the building was erected, being completed in 1612.[1]
The location chosen was an
For 170 years, Hicks Hall was used to hear cases in the county of Middlesex, and is mentioned in many contemporary reports. On 9 October 1660, a
The hall receives a passing mention in Samuel Pepys's diary for 6 December 1660:
Before I went forth this morning, one came to give me notice that the Justices of Middlesex do meet tomorrow at Hickes hall and that I, as one, am desired to be there; but I fear I cannot be there, though I much desire it.[5]
In addition to the sessions house, the original intention was to incorporate a small prison in the building, to relieve overcrowding at Newgate. In the event, the site proved too constricted to allow this, but a more modest lock-up was included.[1]
Closure and successor courthouses
By the 1770s the street had become uncomfortably busy and noisy for court business, and the building itself had fallen into disrepair. Although some consideration was given to rebuilding, it was eventually closed and demolished in 1782.
Legacy
A carved oak
Sir Baptist Hickes of Kensington in the County of Middlesex Knight one of the justices of the peace of this county of Middlesex of his worthy disposition and at his own proper charge buylt this session house in the year of our Lord God 1612 and gave it to the justices of peace of this county and their successors for a sessions house for ever. 1618.[2]
The site of Hicks Hall remains obvious as a large island in the middle of St John Street, distinguished by the divergence of the building frontages on either side of the street to leave space for two clear thoroughfares. In the late 19th century a set of
Use as datum point
Hicks Hall was the notional starting point of the Great North Road, and was used as the datum point for mileages on that road. Measurements were taken from the building's front.[9] The location's use for this purpose survived the demolition of the building itself: it continued until the early 19th century when Charing Cross (the statue of Charles I) began to be treated as the notional centre of London, and the agreed point from which all distances from London were measured. Until the late 19th century, milestones could still be seen on the Great North Road stating the number of miles "from Hicks Hall", or "from where Hicks Hall formerly stood".[2][10]
Cultural references
- In Samuel Butler's poem Hudibras (published 1663–1678), the following lines appear:
An Old Dull Sot, wh'had told the Clock,
For many years at Bridewel-Dock,
At Westminster, and Hickses-Hall,
And Hiccius-Doctius play'd in all ...
References
- ^ a b c d e f Temple 2008, p. 206.
- ^ a b c d Woodd Smith, B. (1892). Jeaffreson, John Cordy (ed.). "Sir Baptist Hicks". Middlesex County Records: Volume 4: 1667–88. London: Middlesex County Record Society. pp. 329–349. Retrieved 8 May 2020 – via British History Online.
- ^ Temple 2008, pp. 206–207.
- ^ a b Timbs 1865, p. 57.
- ISBN 0-7135-1551-1.
- ^ Temple 2008, pp. 207–208.
- ^ Historic England. "Inner London Sessions Court (1385732)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
- ^ a b Temple 2008, p. 208.
- ^ Webster, Norman (1974). The Great North Road. Bath: Adams and Dart. pp. 15–16.
- ^ Timbs 1865, p. 54.
- ^ Butler, Samuel (1905) [1678]. Waller, A. R. (ed.). Hudibras: written in the time of the late wars. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 298.
Sources
- Temple, Philip, ed. (2008). "Hicks' Hall (demolished)". Survey of London: South and East Clerkenwell. ISBN 9780300137279.
- Timbs, John (1865). "From Hicks's Hall to Campden House". Walks and Talks about London. London: Lockwood & Co. pp. 54–63.