History of Brabant Court
If you’ve ever visited the Sky Garden, you probably queued alongside Philpot Lane. Just off this street is a tempting little dead end called Brabant Court and if you walk through you’ll find a surprising 18th Century building!
History of Brabant Court
Brabant Court can be seen below on the Horwood Map of 1799, but it was originally called Bowling Alley.
It’s so small that its name is only visible on the helpful key.
You can see it with its current name on the William de Morgan map from 1682.
There are some stone bollards in the corners, suggestive of horse and carts coming into the yard to load and unload goods. Inside the court itself, you find no.4 Brabant Court. It was built in 1710 which received Grade II listing in 1972.
In 2013 it won the City Heritage Award, given to the best refurbishment project in the City that year.
It seems that it’s still a private home today and you can get a peek inside with these photos from the interior designer, Jackie McWeeney.
When you encounter these houses I think you can’t help but wonder about past residents.
Someone who did live in Brabant Court (though I’m not sure if he lived in No.4) was John Lydekker. His will is in the National Archives, dated 27 July 1832 from Brabant Court, Philpott Lane.
John was born in 1778 and joined the haberdashery trade. By 1804 he was running his own business as a cane and whalebone merchant which might seem like a leap into a new industry, until we remember that whalebone was an integral part of corsets and stays within fashionable garments.
John did eventually jump ship – literally – to become a ship owner and in 1829 he owned five ships according the the Register of Shipping. His ships traded between London and Greenland (for whaling) and the South Seas (mostly associated with the Transatlantic Slave Trade).
In 1832 John died, rather suddenly, of Cholera and wrote his will on the same day. He left about £58,000 (£5.1million) not to his family, but to the Seamen’s Hospital Society in Greenwich.
The society erected a memorial plaque (now in the Museum of London Docklands) to ‘Gratefully record his munificent bequest to the institution’.
He was buried in St. Dionis Backchurch, Fenchurch Street which was demolished in 1878. The remains of everyone buried there – including Lydekker – were moved to the City of London Cemetery in Newham.
As ever, it proves it’s worthwhile having a peep down London’s many narrow alleys!
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Arjan Geveke
Brabant is an area in both The Netherlands and Belgium. The province of North-Brabant lies in The Netherlands and the provinces of Flemish and Walloon Brabant lie in Belgium. All used to be part of the Duchy of Brabant, a state of the Holy Roman Empire.
Katie Wignall
Thanks Arjan! I had read about this connection but wasn’t sure it was totally confirmed. I assume some merchant/trade links are to thank for the name!
Ron Chriswell
While my son and I were visiting London, and on a walking tour, we were told that this exact home was the inspiration for Charles Dicken’s character, “Scrooge’s” house. Does anyone know any more about this?
Katie Wignall
Ooh I haven’t heard that one. I thought scrooge was more associated with the real life John Elwes who developed Portman Square?
Katy Goody
Hi
My 4x Great Grandfather owned number 4 – His name was Thomas Carpenter and he was a goldsmith and Freeman of the city. He owned several properties around London with this being the most prestigious. (As far as I can tell, most of the others were almost slum-like) He also owned 8 Philpott Lane on the corner. At his death in 1841 he was living in Cambridge Heath but bequeathed 4 Brabant Court to his son James. By 1875 another son, William – my 3x Great Grandfather – and his son have located their law office at 4 Brabant Court. Co-incidentally the law business later moved to number 7 Lawrence Pountney Hill which you mention in another post. They were bombed out in WW2.
Thanks for adding to my knowledge of the area with your post. Much appreciated.