Teacher Trail 5 | Page 1

UPPER MALL TO HAMMERSMITH TERRACE

Look at house number 15 on Upper Mall. There is a blue plaque on the wall.

1a. Who lived here?

Thomas Cobden-Sanderson 1840-1922

1b. What did he set up here? Doves Bindery and Doves Press. The Doves Bindery (for binding books) was founded in 1893 and the Doves Press (for printing books) in 1900. After Cobden-Sanderson closed the press in 1916 he threw the type (which made printing blocks) into the river to prevent its use by anyone else. Early 18th century house. Listed Grade II.

To the left of the door there is a stone plaque which says the Doves Bindery and the Doves Press and the letters MDCCCXCIII and MCM

1c. Can you ﬁnd them?

These are dates using Roman numbering.

1d. Can you work out the dates?

1893. 1900. MDCCCXCIII is MCM is [M=1,000, D=500, C=100, X=10]

2. What is the name of the public house?

The Dove (listed Grade II). Dates from 1790. Known as “The Dove Coffee House” in 1796. The pub was used by watermen, when sailing barges were unloaded here.

Go through the passage into Upper Mall.

This photograph of Upper Mall was taken in 1896.

3a. How long ago was this? years ago.

3b.

What has changed? What has stayed the same? The large trees on the riverside have Buildings. been cut down. They were elm trees which were planted when Catherine of Braganza (wife of Charles II) lived in Rivercourt House (see Question 8a). They survived for over 200 years. The road is wider.

3c. What do you think are the biggest changes?

The large elm trees have been cut down.

Go to number 26, Kelmscott House.

Look to the left of the door, there is a plaque (dark colour) to George MacDonald.

4a. What was he famous for?

Poet and novelist, lived here 1867-77, when the house was called The Retreat. He lived 1824 -1905, works include ‘At the Back of the North Wind’ 1871 and ‘The Princess and the Goblin’ 1872.

To the right of the door there is another plaque to a very famous Victorian called William Morris.

4b. What did he do? Poet, craftsman, socialist, 1834 - 1896. Lived here 1878 - 96. Born in Walthamstow. Helped to found the house decorating and furnishing business of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co which became Morris & Co. He founded the weaving and dyeing works at Merton Abbey in 1881 and started the Kelmscott Press in 1891. He helped found the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) in 1877.

To the left of Kelmscott House is the Coach House. 4c. Who uses the Coach House now?

The William Morris Society. The Coach House served as the meeting place for ﬁrstly the Social-Democratic Federation (Hammersmith branch formed in 1884) which became a branch of the Socialist League in 1884. Lectures were given regularly every Sunday. Visits can be arranged for your class. Contact the William Morris Society. Phone number 020 8741 3735.

Above the doors there is a stone plaque to Sir Francis Ronalds.

4d. What did he invent and build here?

The ﬁrst electric telegraph, eight miles long was constructed here in 1816. He was an electrical inventor and meteorologist, became a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1844. He lived 1788 - 1873.

Go over to the curved river wall opposite Kelmscott House.

There is a notice about the “Regulation of Trafﬁc in Upper Mall”.

5a. When was it put here?

June 1960.

5b. How much money could your ﬁne be?

Forty Shillings.

5c. How much money would that be today?

£2.00.

Look at this photograph taken in January 1928.

6a. What do you think has happened?

Floods - river wall breached Sunday, 7th Jan. Two servant girls were drowned in Rivercourt House (see Question 8a). For newspaper article describing the event see the section Additional Teaching Materials.

6b. What can you recognise in the photograph?

Hammersmith Bridge, Lower Mall, house on the left, pier, the curved river wall.

Walk along to houses 30 and 32.

1879. 7a. When were they built?

They are good examples of VICTORIAN architecture.

If you stand against the river wall you can also see Kelmscott House, which is a good example of GEORGIAN architecture.

7b. Describe the differences between the two types of architecture.

VICTORIAN GEORGIAN Houses no.30 and 32. Kelmscott House. Listed Grade II. Victorian 1837 - 1901 Georgian 1714 - 1830. Decorated brickwork, bay windows. Plain, ﬂat fronted, symmetrical, no Sash windows. ornamentation. Sash windows - small panes.

See notes on architecture in Introduction

7c. Which style do you prefer?

7d. Why?

Go back to the Upper Mall.

Look at number 36 on the corner. This is Rivercourt House.

8a. Who uses the building now?

The Latymer Preparatory School - a private school. Listed Grade II, built around 1808. On this site was the house of Catherine of Braganza (1638 - 1705) wife of Charles II.

8b. Do you like the building? YES NO

8c. Explain why here.

Walk to Weltje Road.

Look at the side of number 48. There is a blue plaque here.

9a. Who lived here?

Eric Ravilious

9b. What did he do?

Artist. Eric William Ravilious (1903 - 42) lived here between 1931 - 5. Artist (preferred watercolour), book illustrator for Golden Cockerel Press, and designer for Wedgewood and London Underground. Ofﬁcial war artist.

Look at this photograph, taken on the corner of Weltje Road and Upper Mall.

Photograph taken in about 1929.

10a. What can you see that is the same?

The buildings.

10b. What has changed?

The trees. Road surface. Trafﬁc and people.

As you walk along Upper Mall, look out for this structure.

11a. What do you think it is used for?

Any interesting guesses?

11b. Have a closer look and you will see a sign that tells you what it is used for.

London Corinthian Sailing Club’s dinghy racing starting box. Built 1962.

Go on to number 60, Linden House.

12a. Do you like this building? YES NO

12b. Why?

Listed Grade II, early 18th century.

12c. Who uses this building now?

London Corinthian Sailing Club. Sons of the Thames Rowing Club.

The next section of the trail, between Linden House and Hammersmith Terrace has changed a great deal over the years.

From Linden House go into Oil Mill Lane and walk a little way towards the Great West Road.

This photograph of Oil Mill Lane was taken in 1954. It is looking towards the river.

There was a big factory on the riverside.

13a. What has happened to the factory?

Demolished. The factory was called the Bemax factory (Bemax was a wheatgerm product). Bemax took over the factory in 1930. Originally it was the Albert Oil Mills. Oil Mill Lane took its name from the factory.

13b. What has been built there instead of the factory?

New housing, Lord Napier Place.

Walk back to the riverside, in front of Linden House and look at this photograph of 1904.

Hammersmith West Middlesex Albert Mills (later the Terrace Water Company Bemax Factory)

14a. What has changed?

The factories and waterworks have been demolished, no chimneys. Albert Mills/Bemax is new housing. Waterworks is now open space.

14b. What has stayed the same?

Hammersmith Terrace.

Walk to the Old Ship Public House. Go around to the back (North side).

The large building that backs on to the open space is the Victorian Water Pumping Station.

Look at this photograph taken in the 1930s.

This is now the ‘back’ of the pub.

15. Can you ﬁnd any evidence that it is the same place?

Pillars/tops of pillars alongside the windows.

Go to the open space. Walk over to the paved area that is alongside the river.

This photograph of the Upper Mall Open Space was taken in 1968.

16a. Can you see anything that is the same?

Pumping Station. St Paul’s Church. Arched windows in wall. The Lower Mall. The Old Ship pub (behind the white wall).

16b. What do you think is happening in the photograph?

The old West Middlesex Water Company building (see question 14) has been demolished. Works in progress to create the open space. The open space was opened on 22nd October 1970 by Sir Alan Herbert (see question 23).

Walk along to ‘Black Lion Steps’.

17a. What do you think these steps are for?

Access to the river and foreshore. Also known as Bell’s Stairs. Used by watermen to ferry people across the river.

17b. What do you think the arched wall is?

Formed part of the buildings of the West Middlesex Water Company. Look at photograph for Question 16 - can see arched window on left.

Look at the Black Lion pub side of the arched wall.

Find a brown plaque.

18a. Who lived here?

William Tierney Clark

18b. What did he design?

The ﬁrst Hammersmith Bridge, opened in 1827. William Tierney Clark (1783 - 1852), civil engineer, engineer to the West Middlesex Water Works.

The Black Lion pub is very old. It is mentioned in documents of 1793.

18c. How long ago was that? years ago.

For information on the ‘Hammersmith Ghost’ story connected with the Black Lion contact H&F Archives and Local History Centre.

Now look at Hammersmith Terrace.

19a. Describe the houses.

Listed Grade II, no’s 1 to 16 built 1760 - 1770. Tall, quite narrow, some 3/some 4 storey, porches, wrought iron railings, wooden sash windows. This is the ‘back’ of the houses. Gardens and front elevations are facing the river.

19b. Would you like to live here? YES NO

19c. Why?

Now walk along the terrace.

20a. On number 3 there is a blue plaque. Who lived here?

Edward Johnston

20b. What did he do?

‘Master calligrapher’ - calligraphy is the art of producing beautiful handwriting. Edward Johnston (1872 - 1944) calligrapher and designer of lettering.

There is another blue plaque at number 7.

20c. Who lived here?

Sir Emery Walker

20d. When did he live here?

1903 - 1933. Sir Emery Walker, (1851 - 1933) typographer and antiquary, friend of William Morris (Q4b). He worked with Morris on the Kelmscott Press and with Cobden-Sanderson (Q1) in the Doves Press and Bindery.

Now look in the doorway of number 8.

Look for this shape.

21. What do you think it was used for?

It is a boot scraper. The roads were in a very poor state when these houses were built. No hard or tarmac surfaces, just mud and dirt. Needed to scrape mud and dirt off boots and shoes before going indoors.

Outside number 9 there is a round metal cover in the pavement.

22. What do you think this was used for?

Coal hole cover. Coal was the energy source for heating and cooking. It was delivered to the basement through these ‘coal holes’. There are others along the terrace, look at the different makes and designs. Rubbings can be taken of them.

On number 12 there is another blue plaque.

23a. Who lived here?

Sir Alan Herbert

23b. What did he do?

Author, humorist and reformist M.P. Sir Alan Patrick Herbert (1890 -1971) wrote novels, light verse and plays. Author of more than 80 books. Member of Parliament for Oxford University 1935 - 50. Freeman of Hammersmith.

Walk to the end of the terrace.

Look at this photograph taken about 1939-45.

24. Can you see any changes?

The terrace has stayed much the same - the factories/waterworks (chimneys) have been demolished.