Tavistock Street
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Tavistock Street is a street in the
Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...
area of
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
which runs parallel to the
Strand Strand may refer to: Topography *The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a: ** Beach ** Shoreline * Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida Places Africa * Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa * Strand Street ...
between
Drury Lane Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster. Notable landmarks ...
and Southampton Street just south of the market piazza.


History

Initially, the street was a passageway between
Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
and Catherine Streets in 1630s. The first mention of the street dates to 1706, until when it was part of
York Street York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a m ...
. In 1729 Caleb Waterfield erected his first house (no. 15) on the street. In 1733 James Walker built three more, and the same year Robert Umpleby built two more (becoming nos. 34–38). In the early 19th century, the street was the location of many fashionable shops, such as are now to be found in
Bond Street Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the l ...
. The congregation of rich
carriage A carriage is a private four-wheeled vehicle for people and is most commonly horse-drawn. Second-hand private carriages were common public transport, the equivalent of modern cars used as taxis. Carriage suspensions are by leather strapping an ...
s there was said to be one of the great sights of London at this time. It then became a centre of publishing of periodicals such as '' Country Life'' (no 8, designed in 1904 by
Edwin Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memori ...
), ''
The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...
'' and '' Vanity Fair''. The auction business
Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and ...
started there as a bookseller.


Famous residents

Thomas de Quincey Thomas Penson De Quincey (; 15 August 17858 December 1859) was an English writer, essayist, and literary critic, best known for his ''Confessions of an English Opium-Eater'' (1821). Many scholars suggest that in publishing this work De Quince ...
lived at number 36 where he wrote ''
Confessions of an English Opium Eater ''Confessions of an English Opium-Eater'' (1821) is an autobiographical account written by Thomas De Quincey, about his laudanum addiction and its effect on his life. The ''Confessions'' was "the first major work De Quincey published and the on ...
''.
Casanova Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (, ; 2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer and author from the Republic of Venice. His autobiography, (''Story of My Life''), is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of information about the c ...
took rooms at the Star Tavern in 1763 but was unsuccessful in seducing English women there.


Buildings

Number 22 is the former headquarters of the Strand District Board of Works. The seal of the board is visible on the exterior of the building. Museum software company
System Simulation __NOTOC__ System Simulation (SSL) is a software engineering company now specialising in text and multimedia information systems, based in Covent Garden, central London, England, and founded in 1970. Under the chairmanship of John Lansdown, follo ...
is based in
Burleigh House Burleigh Hall was a country house situated near Loughborough in the county of Leicestershire. Its land now forms part of the campus of Loughborough University. History An early reference to the Burleigh estate describes how during the March 164 ...
at no. 28.


References

Shopping streets in London Streets in the City of Westminster {{London-road-stub