St Johns Wood

Charles Freeth (the Elder) and his children lived in St John's Wood, and indeed owned properties in the area. They moved there some time between 1826 and 1840, a period when the area was developing rapidly. The Estate of Charles Freeth the Younger included several properties in the area.

The area had remained a largely rural area until the end of the eighteenth century. Most of St John's Wood was acquired by the Eyre family in 1732. Building began in St Johns Wood around 1809 in Alpha Road, although the villas were demolished to make way for the railway in the late 1800's. (date?)^[a] Of particular note is that Charles Freeth (the Younger) was an 'agent' for the Eyre family, and in later census records he was noted as a Proprieter of Houses.

The villas built in St John's Wood were apparently quite a different style for London: "It was the first part of London, and indeed of any other town, to abandon the terrace house for the semi-detached villa – a revolution of striking significance and far-reaching effect" (Sir John Summerson).

In 1814, Lord’s cricket ground moved to its present site and St. John’s Church was consecrated. In 1825, the Riding School, now part of the Royal Horse Artillery Barracks, was completed, and in 1836, St Marylebone Almshouses were built (re-built on the same site in 1965), and the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady. In 1847 St. Mark’s Church, Hamilton Terrace was consecrated. All of these historical features are still prominent in the life of St John’s Wood today.

To add

• Greenwoods maps of the time

See Also

1. St John's Wood, from the 1868 Gazetteer, transcribed at http://homepages.gold.ac.uk/genuki/MDX/StMarylebone/StJohnsWoodHistory.html
2. St Johns Wood, Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_John%27s_Wood

References

1. ^ See St Johns Wood History, by the St Johns Wood Historical Society at http://www.stjohnswood.org.uk/sjw/index.html

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