Millbank
Millbank is an area of
History
The area derives its name from a watermill owned by Westminster Abbey that once stood at a site close to present day College Green.[1] Norden's survey, taken during the reign of Elizabeth I in 1573, records the existence of such a mill although much of the area that comprises Millbank today, was referred to by Samuel Pepys and others as Tothill Fields. Described as a place of plague pits and a "low, marshy locality" suitable for shooting snipe in the nearby "bogs and quagmires".[1]
After Cromwell's victory at the Battle of Worcester in September 1651, some 4,000 defeated Royalists were imprisoned at Tothill Fields prior to being sold as slaves to merchants trading with Africa and the West Indies. Facilities at the prison camp on the marshy ground were so poor that 1,200 prisoners were recorded as having died in the primitive conditions.[2]
Prior to the development of Millbank Prison in 1816, the area was sparsely covered with residential houses, but did feature a distillery by the river owned by a Mr. Hodge and numerous small almshouses, bridewells and pest houses for the poor, criminally inclined and sick.[1] Baltic Wharf, a site just to the north of Vauxhall Bridge, was for much of the 19th century the location of a Henry Castle & Son, a ship breaking and timber merchant. Numerous wooden ships of the line of the Royal Navy were dismantled at this location, their ornate figureheads often displayed on the gates and perimeter of the yard walls.[3]
Millbank's general appearance today dates from the 1930s, when the area was extensively rebuilt to repair damage caused by the
The former
The headquarters of the British chemicals giant ICI was originally located at Imperial Chemical House on Millbank (The Smith Square entrance of which was called Nobel House) before it relocated to Manchester Square, also situated in London. The headquarters for the Northern Ireland Office, MI5 and Thames House are also nearby.
On 18 December 1973, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a bomb on Thorney Street at 8:50am. The bomb resulted in over 50 people injured, including two seriously (see 1973 Westminster bombing).[4]
Millbank Studios reside in the area as an independent broadcast company, owned by
Notable buildings
Millbank Estate is a large but highly regarded Grade II-listed red-brick housing estate that gives the area behind Tate Britain a distinct character. The estate was built between 1897 and 1902, the bricks being recycled from Millbank Prison, which had closed in 1890. The 17 buildings, comprising one of London's earliest social housing schemes, are named after distinguished painters such as Turner, Gainsborough, Millais, etc. The estate has 562 flats, all managed on behalf of Westminster City Council by MEMO, the largest tenant management organisation in Westminster. The estate's management board is elected annually from the resident population. Half of the estate's flats are private leaseholds, the other half are rented from Westminster City Council. The estate's buildings are maintained by a regular works program.
In 1914–1916, architects John W. Simpson and Maxwell Ayrton designed and built 4 Millbank, a six-story Neoclassical office building for the Offices of the Crown Agents for the Colonies.[8] This structure has since been converted into multi-let office building with a central, glass-roofed atrium.
Hide Tower is a 20-storey building (with an additional walk-up penthouse level) of 162 flats with a garden and a community hall. When built in 1962 it was the tallest all residential building in Europe. Approximately a quarter of the accommodation is privately rented; half is rented from Westminster City Council and the remainder is owner-occupied. The name was derived from the "
Public transport
The nearest
See also
References
- ^ a b c Griffiths, Arthur (1875). Memorials of Millbank, and Chapters in Prison History, Volume 1. London: Henry S. King & Co. p. 29.
- ISBN 978-1-4411-2386-2.
- ISBN 9781445630304.
- ^ "BOMB INCIDENTS (LONDON)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 18 December 1973. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
- ^ "Guide to Media Contacts and Addresses". Press for Change. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
- ^ "Sky News Radio Sole National News Supplier to UK Commercial Stations". Sky News Press Office. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
- ^ "RTÉ Studios". RTÉ.ie. Archived from the original on 24 July 2009. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
- ISBN 9781134644452.
External links
