Chess Turk Crystal Palace Sydenham

The first device of this kind, "The Turk" was built in 1770, by Wolfgang von Kempelen.

It toured Europe and America, beating Benjamin Franklin and Napoleon Bonaparte, before it was revealed in the 1820's to contain a human operator. Embarassed by it's success Von Kempelen went on to work on steam engines and ways of recreating human speech, inspiring Alexander Graham Bell to create the telephone.

The Turk, after many changes of human "director" and owner, disappeared in a fire on 5 July 1854 at the Chinese Museum in Philadelphia, just over a month after the Crystal Palace opened in Sydenham.

The Turk Mk II, was "Ajeeb" Arabic for "strange or unexplainable" built by Bristol cabinet maker Charles Hooper and first shown at the Royal Polytechnical Institute in 1868. Again the secret was that he contained a human operator, and was at the Crystal Palace until 1876, when he moved to The Royal Aquarium in Westminster. Hooper then took him to the U.S., where he appeared the the Musee Eden in New York. Hooper returned to England in 1895, and most accounts report that Ajeeb disappeared in a fire at Coney Island in 1929 where the collection moved to when the Musee Eden closed in 1915.

This fascinating 1940's article from the New Yorker records that Ajeeb still survived in parts, with his eccentric owner keeping the wax head at home "smearing its eyelids with vaseline, massaging its cheeks and combing its long beard."

Christchurch Road Streatham Hill

William Wetmore Story 1819 – 1895

Arcadian Shepherd Boy 1855. Purchased by subscription for Boston Public Library

Elm Lodge - Agar Town

Elm Lodge

Elm Lodge map

Counsellor Agar" was William Agar of Lincolns Inn, who purchased the lease of the mansion house belonging to the Prebend of St. Pancras in the Fields near London called Kentish Town, from the executors of Henry Newcombe, in 1810, together with the coachhouse, stable, yard and large garden, pleasure grounds, plantation, the Lawn, East Field and Near Field.

The freehold of the manor of St. Pancras belonged to the Prebendary of St. Pancras in St. Paul's Cathedral, it was leased by the Prebendary from time to time.

It was leased on 8th January, 1549, by John Weston, clerk, Residentiary of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul and Penitentiary thereof and Prebendary of St. Pancras, To Richard Wylkes, citizen and merchant taylor of London for 40 years, and after his death this lease passed to Henry Spence, citizen and innholder of London, who obtained an extension of the lease for a further period of 31 years from the Prebendary (Rev. James Calfhill) on 24th July, 1564.

Henry Kinge, D.D., Prebendary, leased it on 12th October, 1641, to John Kinge of the Inner Temple, gentleman, for 21 years, the area of the manor then amounting to 75 acres.

In 1734 it was in the possession of Lady Millington (Ann Millington of St. George the Martyr) whose brother, William Bourchier of Salisbury, Doctor of Physic, assigned the lease to Henry Newcome of Hackney, LL.D., on 5th April, 1755.



The lease to Henry Newcome was renewed in 1757, by the Prebendary (Rev. Fifield Allen, D.D.) to his son Henry Newcome, and again leased 26th March, 1798, to Henry Newcome of Devonshire Place, for 21 years.

His executors obtained a fresh lease for 21 years on 3rd April, 1805, and, on 2nd March, 1816, it was leased by the Prebendary (the Rev. William Beloe) to William Agar, the son of William Agar of Dunnington Hall, York.

He was born in 1767, called to the Bar in 1791 and died 1838.

The last lessee was his son William Talbot Agar of Milford House, Lymington, born 1814, died 1907.

When occupied by the Agar family this house was known as Elm Lodge.

Practically the whole of the Prebendal Manor of St. Pancras has since been occupied by the Midland and Great Northern Railway Companies, now the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and the London and North Eastern Railway.

Brockwell House

Wimbledon House

 

 

 

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=16.9&lat=51.42722&lon=-0.22153&layers=168&right=ESRIWorld 

 

 Joseph Marryat (lease from 7th November 1817)

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Marryat_(1757%E2%80%931824) 

 

A daughter of Frederick Geyer of Boston, Mass., Charlotte was of German descent and one of the first women admitted to membership of the Royal Horticultural Society. 

 In Boston 17 Dec 1788 married Joseph Marryat 

He died 1824.  She died in 1854.

House auctioned 1857 -  https://www.olbc.co.uk/wimbledon-house-estate/

 

 

 

Demolished in 1898 

SCHOOL FOR THE INDIGENT BLIND

It was founded in 1799.

The site originally allocated for the school was required by the City of London for the building of Bethlem Hospital so two acres of land were allotted opposite the Obelisk.
 

The School was incorporated in 1826 and in 1834 underwent remodelling and a Gothic style edifice was added which was designed by the architect John Newman F.S.A.

 In 1901 the site was purchased by the Baker Street and Waterloo Railway and the School was moved to Leatherhead, while the site was dug out for railway tracks.

 

 

View of the Freemason’s School, with the adjacent buildings from the Asylum, to the Toll Gate, Near the Royal Circus. (This Charity was instituted by the March 1788)

1803 - "View of the Freemason’s School, with the adjacent buildings from the Asylum, to the Toll Gate, Near the Royal Circus. (This Charity was instituted by the  March 1788)

The Freemasons' School

"The Royal Freemasons' School for Girls, on the site of the present No. 28 on the north side of Westminster Bridge Road, was opened in temporary buildings rented from James Hedger in 1788. After protracted negotiations the Governors obtained a lease of the ground from the City Corporation, and a school for up to 100 children was built.
The children, daughters of masons of at least three years' standing, entered the school between the ages of 5 and 10. They were taught needlework and domestic subjects and every effort was made "to impress strongly on their minds a due sense of subordination, in true humility and obedience to their superiors." No child who had not had the smallpox or who had any defect or infirmity was admitted. The girls were apprenticed out at the age of 15.

The building in St. George's Fields was in use until 1852, when the school was moved to Wandsworth."

Map 1801

Map 1837

200 years later . . .

salters hill

Paolo Ventura

Devonshire Castle Pub, Harrow Road and Clarendon Crescent . . .

Blomfield Crescent . . .

The use of the name 'Blomfield' presumably come from the Bishop of London at the time Charles Blomfield, Bishop of London 1828 - 1856. Much of the land in this area historically belonged to the Bishop of London.

Harrow Road.

1 - 2 Blomfield Crescent. Between Harrow Road and Upper Westbourne Terrace.

Trinity C E school next to Bayswater Synagogue in the distance. "Opened 1864 as National School for mixed juniors and infants. Founded as a result of re-organisation of Paddington Parochial Schools in 1861. In 1903 was listed as Holy Trinity, Harrow Road, when it had accommodation for 547 pupils. Closed by1951"

3 - 5 Blomfield Crescent. Between Upper Westbourne Terrace and Blomfield Street (now Blomfield Villas)

6 - 7 Blomfield Crescent. Between Blomfield Road and Harrow Road

#6 was the home of the Maguire family of artists.

Between Harrow Road and Westbourne Bridge - The New Red Lion Pub. The previous Red Lion Pub, was sited further west.

Lord Hills Road

"The Blue Lamp" 1950

 

1958

?

 

?

 

"Robbery"1967

British cinema 1960 -

1960

The Battle Of The Sexes

Sink The Bismark

Never Takes Sweets From A Stranger

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_Take_Sweets_from_a_Stranger

Conspiracy Of Hearts

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_of_Hearts

The Angry Silence

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Angry_Silence

The League Of Gentlemen

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_League_of_Gentlemen_%28film%29

Peeping Tom

Cone Of Silence (Trouble In The Sky)

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cone_of_Silence_%28film%29

The Day They Robbed The Bank Of England

Oscar Wilde

The Trials Of Oscar Wilde

Never Let Go

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_Let_Go



Sons And Lovers



Light Up The Sky

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_Up_the_Sky!_%28film%29

The Millionairess

Saturday Night And Sunday Morning

The Criminal (The Concrete Jungle)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Criminal

Tunes Of Glory

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunes_of_Glory

The World Of Suzy Wong

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_of_Suzie_Wong_%28film%29

1961

No Love For Johnnie

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Love_for_Johnnie

Whistle Down The Wind

Victim

A Taste Of Honey

The Innocents

The Full Treatment

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Full_Treatment

The Long And The Short And The Tall

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_and_the_Short_and_the_Tall_%28film%29

The Rebel

Very Important Person

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Very_Important_Person_%28film%29



Mr Topaze

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Topaze

The Greengage Summer

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greengage_Summer

Flame In The Streets

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flame_in_the_Streets



The Kitchen

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kitchen_%281961_film%29



The Young Ones

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Young_Ones_%281961_film%29

1962

It's Trad Dad

A Kind Of Loving

Term Of Trial

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Term_of_Trial

Lolita

The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner

Billy Budd

Dr No

Live Now - Pay  Later

The L-shaped Room

Lawrence Of Arabia

Only Two Can Play

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Only_Two_Can_Play



The Waltz Of The Toreadors

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waltz_of_the_Toreadors_%28film%29

Some People

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Some_People_%28film%29

Life For Ruth

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_for_Ruth

The Dock Brief

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dock_Brief

The Wild And The Willing

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wild_and_the_Willing

1963

This Sporting Life