Canon Row is a historic street in the

City of Westminster The City of Westminster is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and London boroughs, borough in Inner London. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It occupies a large area of cent ...

in London. It is best known as the location of

Canon Row Police Station Cannon Row Police Station in Cannon Row, Westminster, was one of the Metropolitan Police's better known central London police stations. Replacing a leased station on King Street in St James's, it opened on 21 July 1902 in an extension to the Nor ...

History

In 1878 Canon Row extended from the back of Richmond Terrace to Bridge Street, Westminster, and about midway between the Thames and Parliament Street. It is a narrow thoroughfare. According to

John Stow John Stow (''also'' Stowe; 1524/25 – 5 April 1605) was an English historian and antiquarian. He wrote a series of chronicles of English history, published from 1565 onwards under such titles as ''The Summarie of Englyshe Chronicles'', ''The C ...

and John Selden, Canon Row — or, as it was often called, Channel Row — derived its name from being the residence allotted to the Canons of

St Stephen's Chapel St Stephen's Chapel, sometimes called the Royal Chapel of St Stephen, was a chapel completed around 1297 in the old Palace of Westminster which served as the chamber of the House of Commons of England and that of Great Britain from 1547 to 1834. ...

in the

Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parli ...

. It was anciently the site of several grand townhouses. Stow states that among its inhabitants in his time were "divers noblemen and gentlemen," including Sir Edward Hobbes, John Thynne, Esq.,

Henry Clinton, 2nd Earl of Lincoln Henry Clinton, 2nd Earl of Lincoln, KB (1539 – 29 September 1616) was an English peer, styled Baron Clinton from 1572 to 1585. Known for repeated accusations of extortion, abduction and arson, among other things, Henry was likely among the ...

, (Lincoln House) and the Earl of Derby (Derby House) and the Duchess of Somerset, mother of the Earl of Hertford, ( Hertford House) who both occupied "stately" houses. Also situated on Canon Row was Sussex House, home of Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex.Ros, Maggi, Life in Elizabethan England: A London and Westminster Directory, 2008
/ref> The current buildings on the site, including the

, date from the early 20th century.

Sources

* Thornbury, Walter, ''Old and New London'', Volume 3, London, 1878, pp. 376–382: ''Whitehall: Precinct and Gardens
Ros, Maggi, Life in Elizabethan England: A London and Westminster Directory, 2008

References

{{coords, 51.50160, -0.12546, display=title Streets in the City of Westminster