Dyers Buildings Conservation Area

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FrontCoverPicture:Dyers'Buildings

Opposite:WhiteHorseChambers,FetterLane,1894

GUILDHALLLIBRARY


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Dyers' Buildings

Conservation Area Character Summary

This conservation area summary of character identifies key characteristics of the area and particular

planning considerations.

In the City of London the present urban form and character has evolved through many centuries and is the

product of numerous influences and interventions: the character and sense of place is hence unique to that

area, contributing at the same time to the wider character of the City. It is inevitable that the present knowledgeand information is incomplete, and in the interests of brevity only the principal characteristics of the area

are identified here. A more comprehensive appreciation of history and character of the City of London and

the nature of conservation area character (with particular reference to the City) are addressed in

Conservation Areas in the City of London, A General Introduction to their Character.

Each conservation area character summary should be read in conjunction with the General Introduction to

enable a potential appreciation of any matters of possible importance in relation to any building, site, street

or area. The role of such elements in the character and appearance of any area within the City of London

will vary, and will be appraised in the light of particular proposals for alteration, extension or development.

It is prepared in the light of national legislation, policy and advice provided in particular by the Planning

(Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 and PPG 15 Planning and the Historic Environment1994, and planning policies for the City of London contained in the City of London UnitaryDevelopment Plan 1994.


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Corporation of London 1999ISBN 0 85203 050 9


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Dyers' Buildings

Location and Boundaries

Dyers' Buildings Conservation Area, to the west of

Holborn Circus, is one of the smallest of the City'sconservation areas. The boundary is defined by

Holborn to the north, by the rear property boundaries

on the east side of Furnival Street, and includes part

of7-13 Norwich Street, part of 86-90 Fetter Lane,78-81 Fetter Lane entirely and returns to Holbornalong the western boundary of 20-23 Holborn.

The conservation area is in the Ward of

Farringdon Without.

Dyers' Buildings Conservation Area has a shared

boundary with Chancery Lane Conservation Area

at the north end of Furnival Street.

Designation

Dyers' Buildings Conservation Area was designated

in 1981.

Holborn

Holborn

Fetter Lane Barnard's Inn Entry, Holborn


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Area Character

Dyers'Buildings 1959 GUILDHALL LIBRARY

Dyers'Buildings 1959 GUILDHALL LIBRARY

Historical Evolution and Key Features

Dyers' Buildings Conservation Area is a small area with

its own distinct character and intimate atmosphere,which is in marked contrast to the busy thoroughfare

of Holborn.

The conservation area can be divided into two parts.

The western half is composed of Dyers' Buildings,

built as one development in the late 19th century.

This courtyard and its buildings have a pleasing

intimate and secluded character and scale.

Although the buildings are unassuming, the group as a

set piece has a cohesive integrity and, consequently,

considerable presence.

The eastern and southern part of the conservation area,

Barnard's Inn is more complex and of much greater

historic significance. The focus of this is the grade II*

listed hall of Barnard's Inn, originally dating from the

15th century. The Hall was later occupied by the

Mercers' Company School and was known as Mercers'

Hall, recently becoming Gresham College.

Little is known of the area around Holborn in the

Roman period, except that Holborn formed the first

section of the Roman road from Newgate to Silchester

and Gloucester C.50-55AD. This road was firstmentioned as Holeburne Streete in 1249. At that time

it was a major highway for the cartage of wools and

hides, corn, cheese and wood to the City.

There is evidence that there was extensive Roman

gravel quarrying in the area of Dyers' Buildings and

Barnard's Inn in the 1st and 2nd centuries. Like many

extra-mural areas, Barnard's Inn was also the site of a

Roman cemetery in the 2nd to 4th centuries, when

Roman civic law decreed that burials were not allowed

within the City's boundary.

Barnard's Inn 1881 / As C17 GUILDHALL LIBRARY Barnard's Inn 1800 GUILDHALL LIBRARY


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This area of Holborn was one of the earliest of the city

suburbs, dating from the late 9th century, with many

gardens, orchards and large houses. By 1128 theKnights Templar had settled in Holborn, on a site to

the northern end of what was to become Chancery

Lane. In 1161 they sold this land to the Bishops ofLincoln and moved to the site of the New Temple,off Fleet Street. The Holborn area was subsequently

developed as a location for large religious and secular

out-of-town houses and Inns.

Barnard's Inn 1804 GUILDHALL LIBRARY

A further stimulation to development in the area came

in 1234, when Henry III ordered schools of law in theCity to be closed. This led to the formation of the inns

of chancery, the medieval and later Inns or colleges of

lawyers, which grew up along the Strand and Holborn.

The site of Barnard's Inn, consisting of two large

separate plots, including a sizable garden (220 ft long

west to east), was fronted by seven shops on Fetter

Lane. Later known as "the greate garden of Barnard's

Inn formerly calledWhitooke'sMeade", it was purchasedin 1331-2 by Thomas de Lincoln. Fetter Lane,originally Faytor or Faiter Lane and afterwardsFewterers Lane, may be derived from the Old Frenchfor lawyer, but was used by Chaucer to describe the

impostors and beggars who frequented the lane.

Barnard's Inn C1875 GUILDHALL LIBRARY

In 1422 the properties were bought by JohnMackworth,Dean of Lincoln and chancellor to Henry V By 1435the Inn was leased to Lional Barnard who established it

as a school of law, with himself as principal, together

with a treasurer, steward, ancients and juniors.

The Inn survived for over 450 years until its

dissolution, providing legal education accredited by

Grey's Inn, the higher Inn to which Barnard's Inn was

connected. At this time it was known both as

Mackworth's Inn and Barnard's Inn. A hall is recordedon part of this site prior to 1450. It was rebuilt in 1510

and is one of the few remaining buildings ofpre-fireLondon. Ownership passed on Mackworth's death to

the Dean and Chapter of Lincoln Cathedral.

Barnard's Inn Hall c1875 GUILDHALLLIBRARY


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Dyers' Buildings

Dyers' Buildings takes the form of a court that leads off

of the main street of Holborn. The first incarnation of

Dyers' Buildings dates from the mid 16th century,

when, in 1551, almshouses were built by the Dyers'Company under the benefaction of a Mr. Henry West,

who provided for them in his will. Known originally as

White's Alley, the court was connected into the

network of passages and alleyways that characterised

much of 16th and 17th century London, and which canstill be seen in other areas of the City today.

The complex of buildings and the alleyway were to

become known as Dyers' Buildings from the 17th

century, after the City Livery Company that retained

ownership of the property until 1966.

The present fabric of Dyers' Buildings was constructed

as one development by a John Wimble from 1871 to

1878. The development enclosed the alleyway tothe south to form a secluded enclave off Holborn.

The premises were built originally as workshops and

offices for the artisans and service industries needed to

support the increasingly commercial functions of the

Victorian City. Today they provide small office chambers.

Barnard's Inn, for most of it's history, was to retain its

basic layout, with the hall in the middle of the depth of

the tenement, dividing the front courtyard from the

garden behind. Small scale building works and

adaptation of its associated chambers were continuous,

although these changes were not out of keeping with its

basic scale and character. The company of Barnard's

Inn, unlike the other legal Inns, failed to purchase

their site and property from the owners, and had to

pay an increasing levy at the end of each 40 year lease.

The restriction on expansion and the increasing cost

appears to have contributed to the demise of Barnard's

Inn as a legal establishment in 1888.

Barnard's Inn 1879 GUILDHALL LIBRARY Barnard's Inn


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The Inn fell into a state of disrepair and was acquired

by the Mercers' Company. By 1892 the Mercers'

School had out grown it's premises in College Hill and,

limited in the availability of large enough sites, decided

to move to Barnard's Inn. The land and buildings,

consisting of the hall, a library, a porters lodge, the

kitchen, seven houses in use as legal chambers, 4 shops

fronting Holborn and 3 to Fetter Lane, were purchased

by the Mercers' Company in 1893, for a sum of43,000. The committee of the Mercers' Company

recommended the removal of several of the brick built

chambers, including the buildings fronting onto

Holborn, to make way for a new school building

designed by MrTChatneld Clarke for the educationalneeds of 300 boys. The school playground consisted of

the old quadrangle and courtyard of Barnard's Inn,

previously the garden ofWhitooke's Meade.Barnard's Inn Hall 1892 GUILDHALL LIBRARY

In 1898 agreement was reached with the owners of the

adjacent distillery, then operated by James Buchanan,

whereby the playground space was enlarged on 2 sides

at the expense of an increase in height of the new

distillery buildings. The school itself was extended

marginally in the 1930's at which time the 16thCentury hall, in use as the dining room but in a poor

state of repair, was substantially renovated.

GUILDHALL LIBRARY Barnard's Inn Entrance, Fetter Lane 1959Barnard's Inn, Holborn 1879 GUILDHALL LIBRARY


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Ogilby and Morgan 1676-79 GUILDHALL LIBRARY

Undertaken when the reconstruction of the City was well underway, the Plan is the "first large multistreet plan of a British town to be delineated" andis considered to be relatively accurate; plans before this had been aerial pictorial views. The hall was already more than 200 years old when this mapwas completed, the form of the Hall and surrounding courtyards of Barnard's Inn are clearly defined and recognisable. The almshouses provided bythe Dyers' company on what was Whites Alley, may well have been known as Dyers' Buildings by the time this map was made.

Richard Norwood 1792-99 GUILDHALL LIBRARYMade 100 years after the Ogilby and Morgan survey, this map is less informative regarding areas behind street frontages. The consistent form of

Barnard's Inn is apparent, although there appears to have been some rebuilding of surrounding chambers, including the addition of one large buildingin the middle of the Inn. Dyers' Buildings is now clearly labelled, and the fo rm of the alley and surrounding buildings is clearly defined, as are the shopsfronting Holborn and Fetter Lane.


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Ordnance Survey 1873 GUILDHALL LIBRARY

The present No. 1 Dyers' Buildings of 1840 is shown on this map, but as the redevelopment of the rest is dated to 1871 to 78 it seems more thanprobable that the plan indicates an earlier incarnation of the rest of Dyers' Buildings. The connection shown to the alleys and courts to the south wouldseem to support this interpretation. Barnard's Inn remains very much as the earlier plans, although now the chambers clustering around the courtyardare more apparent, as is the scale of the distillery to its East.

GUILDHALL LIBRARY

On this map Dyers' Buildings is shown in its current form, the almshouses having been replaced by commercial buildings. Barnard's Inn is now clearly

shown as the location for the Mercers' school, the main courtyard now being used as a school playground. The distillery shown on this plan is theTreadwell and Martin building for Buchanan's. The site amalgamation on Holborn, Fetter Lane and Norwich Street is apparent, but the spaces at Dyers'Buildings and Barnard's Inn have survived this increase in scale and retain much of their original form.

Ordnance Survey 1914


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White Horse Tavern, Fetter Lane c1830 GUILDHALL LIBRARY

Anderson & Co. Distillery, Hoiborn c1880 GUILDHALL LIBRARY

Buchanan's Distillary, Hoiborn 1953 GUILDHALL LIBRARY

Despite surviving the second world war intact, the

subsequent reorganisation of the education system and

the need for greater provision, meant that the school

was unable to expand sufficiently to meet the required

standards and finally closed in 1959. The old school

buildings were then let and subdivided as office

accommodation and restaurant facilities, with vehicular

access from Norwich Street providing parking space in

the playground. The 3 large plain trees which

occupied the courtyard of the Inn, and later the School

playground, were removed.

This part of Hoiborn was well known from the 17th

century to the mid 20th century for its distilleries, in

fact the Inn and the surrounding developments were

lucky to survive the burning of Langdale's Distillery in

1780 by the Gordon rioters. The distillery stood onthe site of the Black Swan hostelry and coaching house,

dating back to James I, on the corner of Hoiborn and

Fetter Lane, and was attacked by a mob who were

protesting at the relaxation of rules on Catholics in

public life. In the conflagration several of the Inn's

chambers were destroyed, it was considered fortuitous

that the whole Inn did not disappear in the violent

blaze, which was fed by the liquor from the distillers

vats. The name Black Swan remained unchanged,

despite extensive redevelopment and changes of

ownership, the last distillery on the site was owned by

James Buchanan for the manufacture of whisky and

operated from the late 1890's to 1954.Another hostelry, the White Horse Public House at

No.90 Fetter Lane, adjoined Barnard's Inn on thesouth side across White Horse Yard, standing on the

corner of Fetter Lane and Norwich Court, later

Norwich Street, from the 17th century. The White

Horse was a substantial coaching inn, from which

coaches set out for Oxford and the West Country.

The White Horse P.H. took several built forms over

the years, the last Victorian building having been

demolished as part of the 1992 Barnard's Court

redevelopment, which substantially redevelopedBarnard's Inn and the surrounding buildings,

including the Distillery and the School buildings,

as an office complex.

Dyers' Buildings opens onto Hoiborn and is

approached through a narrow opening between 18 and19 Hoiborn. Prestige House, a substantial 1920'sbuilding faced in Portland stone in a stripped classical

style, stands to the west of the entry to Dyers'

Buildings, to the east is the domestically scaled Sterling

House at 19 Hoiborn, a commercial building of 1880

in brick with painted stucco and stone dressings.

Dyers' Buildings is entered through a cast iron arch

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and gateway, set back from the street and decorated

with the arms of the Dyers' Livery Company.

Dyers' Buildings itself consists of a long thin formal

courtyard with six separate buildings, three on each

side. Five buildings, all constructed to the same design,

so intimately placed along two sides of a court, producean introspective and cohesive character, which lends

itself to their current use as mostly legal chambers.

These four storey buildings are of yellow and red stock

brick construction and are quite domestic in scale and

appearance. The facades are treated with the same

restrained decorative theme with some ornate

terracotta guilloche banding. Large bay windows area feature of the ground floor elevation. In the north-

west corner, the older No.l from 1840, now in officeuse, breaks the sequence. This is a five-bay, three

storey house, with a stuccoed ground floor and a

pilastered doorcase with lions' heads.

The view northwards from the courtyard is closed by

the central tower of the Prudential building, the

relationship producing a pleasing reciprocal view.

The view to the south is dominated by the rear

elevation of 3-5 Norwich Street, which dominates the

scale of the courtyard.Holborn

Prudential Building Dyers' Buildings

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Barnard's Inn Barnard's Ini

Barnard's Inn is entered from either Holborn or Fetter

Lane and is a series of small, intimate and discrete

informal courtyards, which are a legacy of the Inn's

legal and educational past. The 16th century hall isonly 3 7ft long and constructed from ragstone with

timber framing, refaced with stock brick. The roof is

timber covered with tiles, topped with its remarkableoriginal octagonal lantern or louvre, with trefoil headed

openings and ogee top. The stained glass is 17th

century and the interior wood panelling is 16thcentury. The hall has little 18th century and 19th

century buildings clustered around it. The single story

wing, now used as offices of Gresham College, is a later

addition of1805. The hall is a scheduled ancientmonument and is the oldest surviving domestic

building in the City.

The Inn is even more secluded than Dyer's Buildings

and has an enclosed and quiet atmosphere, that speaks

directly of its collegiate history. The "greate garden ofBarnard's Inn ..", later the courtyards and quadrangle ofthe Inn, and finally the playground of the school,

survives in vestigial form, still creating part of the

setting of the hall. This secluded Inn was always

entered from Fetter Lane and Holborn, apart from a

short period in this century when access was from

Norwich Street. When Barnard's Court was finished

in 1992 by the Mercers' Company, access wasreinstated from Fetter Lane, through a new gateway.

The redevelopment and enlargement behind the

retained facade ofTChatfield Clarke's 1907 HaltonHouse, at 20-23 Holborn, provided the opportunity to

respect and enhance the access to Barnard's Inn from

Holborn through a new white & green glazed brick

passageway. The building itself makes a notable

contribution to the character of the conservation area,

Barnard's Inn Barnard's Inn Entry, Holborn

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and, in its informal grouping with the open spaces and

with medieval hall, maintains an historic relationship.

Though obviously a more substantial building,

it provides a dramatic introduction to the hall from

the north.

The redevelopment to create Barnard's Court requiredthe demolition of several 19th century buildings on the

corner of Norwich Street and Fetter Lane, including

the White Horse P.H. and the redevelopment of the

rear section of the other listed building in the

conservation area at 78-81 Fetter Lane. Dated 1902,

this impressive stone fronted building by Threadwell

and Martin, is an outlying survivor of the Buchanan's

Distillery, the main body of which lay to the north;

the facade is in modified flemish gothic style with

carved decoration, incorporating 2 crouching figures

supporting a shell pediment on the gable end.

The building plays an important role in the townscape

of the area. The flamboyant roof profile of 78-81

Fetter Lane is respected by the series of varying roof

forms of the Barnard Court development in a manner

which recognises and enhances the character of the

immediate area.

Barnard's Court uses a sympathetic palate of

polychromatic materials and incorporates some of the

more decorative artifacts from the original school

building. Care has also been taken over the quality of

the paving in the courtyards, which re-uses and

matches much of the original York stone. The hall is

now somewhat overpowered by the surrounding

development, although the historic courts and alleys

are maintained. The archway between the northern

and southern courts however is particularly effective

in mediating between the differing scales.

Certain decorative brick and stone features were also

salvaged from the school buildings and effectively

re-used in the new elevations within the courtyard area,where the original Chatfield Clarke school building,Jacobean in red brick and Ancaster stone, is looselyreinterpreted using original and replicated features inpart of the elevation facing the Hall. This recognises

the historic importance of the school buildings and the

hall which represent successive phases in the role of

Barnard's Inn in the City's educational heritage.

The two privately owned spaces that make up the

Dyers' Buildings Conservation Area, Dyers' Buildings

and Barnard's Inn, have their own distinct character,

but share an intimate atmosphere, which is in marked

contrast to the busy thoroughfare of Holborn. As quiet

introspective areas, set apart from the bustle of much of

the City, they still maintain today a quality that has

defined these areas since their inception.

78-81 Fetter Lane Fetter Lane

Barnard's Inn Barnard's Inn

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Holborn


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78-81 Fetter Lane Barnard's Inn Barnard's Inn

Barnard's Inn Barnard's Inn Barnard's Inn

Barnard's Inn Dyers' Buildings Barnard's inn

arnard's Inn Dyers' Buildings Barnard's Inn

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Acknowledgements

The Urban Design and Conservation Section of the Department of Planning would

like to express its gratitude for the advice and /or assistance provided by the followingorganisations and individuals in the preparation of this series:

The Guildhall Library - Lynne MacNab, Jeremy Smith, John Fisher, Ralph Hyde.The Worshipful Company of Dyers -J.R. Chambers, Clerk.Illustrations identified below are reproduced with the kind permission of the following:

The Guildhall Library: pages 1, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 10.

Several of the maps in this series on Conservation Area Character are based upon

Ordnance Survey maps for the City of London with the sanction of the Controller of

Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Crown Copyright Reserved.

All other illustrations were taken by the Urban Design and Conservation Section,

Department of Planning, Corporation of London.

References

The brief quote in the reference to the Ogilby and Morgan plan is taken from the

introduction to this series of maps by Ralph Hyde, Guildhall Library. Readers are also

referred to the sources mentioned in the General Introduction to this series on the

Character of the City's Conservation Areas, and to Bradley & Pevsner, "The Buildings

of England, LONDON 1: The City of London", 1997, Penguin, London.

This series on the Conservation Areas in the City of London, is written and designed

by the Urban Design and Conservation Section, Department of Planning, Corporation

of London.

The Corporation of London 1999.Design by Balchin Design; printing by Ingersoll Printers Ltd; in association with the

Department of Printing and Stationery.

Further Information and assistance:

Department of Planning

Corporation of London

P.O. Box 270 , GuildhallLondon EC2P 2EJ

Tel: 0171-332 1716

Produced under the direction of:

Peter Wynne Rees B.Sc, BArch, BTP, RIBA, FRTPI, FRSA.City Planning Officer

Corporation of London

P.O. Box 270 , GuildhallLondon EC2P 2EJPrice - 2.50 inc.

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The Corporation of London is the local authority for the financial and commercial heart ofBritain, the City of London. It is committed to maintaining and enhancing the status of theBusiness City as one of the world's three leading financial centres through the policies it pursuesand the high standard of services it provides. Its responsibilities extend far beyond the City

boundaries and it provides a host of additional facilities for the benefit of the nation.

These range from the Central Criminal Court, The Old Bailey, to the famous Barbican Arts

Centre and open spaces such as Epping Forest andHampstead Heath.Among local authorities the Corporation of London is unique; not only is it the oldest in the

country, combining its ancient traditions and ceremonial functions with the role of a modern

and efficient authority, but it operates on a non-party political basis through its Lord Mayor,

Aldermen and Members of the Court of Common Council.

The Corporation of London: a unique authority for a unique City.


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Dyers Buildings Conservation Area