Silver Street, London

This article is about the street in central London. For Silver Street in Enfield, see Silver Street railway station.

51°31′02″N 0°05′40″W / 51.51735°N 0.09454°W / 51.51735; -0.09454 Silver Street was a street in London. It ran from the north end of Noble Street at Falcon Square to Wood Street.[1] It originated in medieval times, and is one of the streets shown on a map known as the "Woodcut map of London" or the "Agas" map, which survives in a 17th-century version.[2][3]

Its inhabitants included the Mountjoy family with whom William Shakespeare lodged at the beginning of the 17th century.[3] According to Charles Nicholl, who has written a detailed analysis of Shakespeare's life on Silver Street, their house can be identified on the "Woodcut map".[4] The Mountjoys were Huguenots who ran a business making luxury headgear for ladies, including theatrical costumes.

During the Second World War the Cripplegate area, where the street was located, was virtually destroyed in the Blitz.

  1. ^ 'Cripplegate, one of the 26 Wards of the City of London' Baddesley, J.J p76: London; Blades, East & Blades; 1921
  2. ^ "Silver Street". Map of Early Modern London: edited by Janelle Jenstad (University of Victoria). Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  3. ^ a b Ralph Agas (attributed) (1633). "Agas' Map of London: William Shakespeare's Lodgings in Silver Street". London Picture Archive. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  4. ^ Nicholl, Charles (2007). The Lodger: Shakespeare on Silver Street. London. Allen Lane. The Lodger Shakespeare: His Life on Silver Street. New York: Viking.