"The story of this corner of London runs deep. The roots of settlement here stretch back to the 10th century, when King Edgar granted 13 acres of riverside land to 13 knights (yes, an acre per knight), with permission to use it for trading along he river. By 1125, there was already a dock at St Katharine's. Over the centuries, the area grew into a small but busy community, complete with a hospital, a monastery, a school, almshouses and its own court."
"Those Parsons were a brewing dynasty. Their Red Lion Brewery stood directly opposite the alley and remained in family hands for four generations. In 1717, Humphrey Parsons took over the business and created a porter called Parsons' Black Champagne, a drink that became fashionable not just in London but also in Paris. When the family sold up in 1779, their connection faded, and the name of the alley seemed to have settled to the plainer Alderman Stairs."
Alderman Stairs sits just east of the Tower of London as a narrow alley leading down to the Thames, guiding people to and from the river for centuries. Settlement on the riverside began in the 10th century when King Edgar granted 13 acres to 13 knights for trading. A dock existed at St Katharine's by 1125, and the area grew into a compact community with a hospital, monastery, school, almshouses and its own court. By the late 18th century about 3,000 people lived there before the St Katharine Docks Bill cleared the neighbourhood for docks and warehouses. The alley appeared on a 1746 map and acquired names tied to local families, notably the Parsons brewing dynasty whose porter gained popularity in London and Paris. The steps primarily served the working docks across its long history.
Read at ianVisits
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]