Prince Henry's Room in Fleet Street is one of the few houses in
London which survive today from before the Great Fire of London in
1666.
The room is currently closed to the public,
please check this page later in the year for more
information.
How to get there / visitor information |
About the building
History
The history of the site can be traced back to the 12th century
when it formed part of the property granted to the Knights Templar,
which in 1312 passed to the Knights Hospitallers of the Order of St
John of Jerusalem.
Fleet Street was probably lined with small buildings at an early
date and Hospitallers' records show that at the beginning of the
16th century tenants included the landlord of an inn called The
Hand which was on the site of the eastern half of No 17.
The Order of St John was dissolved in 1540. In 1610 the owner of
the property decided to rebuild. The new building became a tavern,
known for the next thirty years as the Prince's Arms . In
1671 the property was sold to James Sotheby in whose family the
freehold remained until it was purchased by the London County
Council in 1900.
The house changed its name to the Fountain during the
17th century and from 1795 to 1816 the front part of the house was
occupied by a well-known exhibition, Mrs Salmon's Waxworks, while
the tavern business continued in the back part of the premises.
Several mythical stories have attached themselves to the site.
When the London County Council took over the building, a signboard
across the front declared that it was "formerly the palace of Henry
VIII and Cardinal Wolsey" but evidence of the rebuilding in 1610
refutes this claim.
A more persistent story states that the house was built for the
Council of the Duchy of Cornwall and that the room on the first
floor was set apart for its use after Prince Henry became Prince of
Wales in 1610. This would explain the three feathers motif on the
facade and why the inn was called The Prince's Arms .
However, records clearly show that the house was erected as a
tavern and that the name was in use two years before Prince Henry
was born.
The building
In 1900 it was discovered that there was a false front on the
building incorporating eight carved panels. Behind this was the
original 17th century half-timbered front, shorn of its bay windows
but entirely preserved by the thick layers of paint which covered
the whole front. The facade now appears in its original form.
Inside the building the main
feature of interest is the large room on the first floor.
Originally panelled in oak, only the portion on the west side
of the room now remains. The remaining panelling and the
chimney piece are Georgian and of pine.
The great treasure of the house is the ceiling, one of the best
remaining Jacobian enriched plaster ceilings in London. In the
centre of the design are the Prince of Wales feathers, and the
letters PH in a star-shaped border.
There are two stained glass
windows in the room - both 20th century. The right-hand window
is the 'Royal' window, designed to commemorate the supposed
association of the chamber with the Duchy of Cornwall. The
other window illustrates the connection of the room with the
London County Council, the City of London and the Society of
the Inner Temple.
Prince Henry's Room was transferred to the City of London in
1969 from the Greater London Council.
How to get there
Prince Henry's Room is at 17 Fleet Street, London EC4.
Although it is located in a private office building, the room
itself is open to the public, free of charge, Monday - Friday,
11.00am - 2.00pm.
The nearest tube station is
Blackfriars.