Comments on: Elegy For The White Hart

By: Carol Brill

Carol Brill — Mon, 22 May 2017 23:04:28 +0000

I’m a descendant of Letitia Monro, who was transported to Australia in 1788 on the First Fleet. Her older brother Hugh died in White Hart Court, and it’s wonderful to see images of the court more than two hundred years later – thankyou for your wonderful site.

Here’s a transcript of the inquest into young Hugh’s death, from the wonderful London Lives website:

“City & Liberty of Westmr . in the County of Middlesex }
Informations taken this Fifteenth day of April 1768 at the Parish of St. Margaret within the City and Liberty of Westmr . in the County of Middlesex on an Inquisition touching the Death of Hugh Monro lying dead in the said Parish City Liberty and County.

Alexander Monro a Lodger at Mr. Satliff at the First floor in White Hart Court in the Parish of St.
Margaret Westmr . Labourer , Father to Hugh Monro the Deced [..] about the Age of five Years, on his Oath saith that Yesterday Morning about a Quarter after Eight o’clock this Dept. went down Stairs out of his Lodger Room to fetch a pail of clean water, and his Wife immediately followed with a pail of Dirty water leaving the Deced in the Room rocking two small Children in the Cradle Says that which he was in the Court he heard some of the Neighbours cry out that this Dept. was falling
out of the Window, upon which he immediately saw the Deced fall upon the Stone Pavement in the said Court, where he lay Speechless and unable to move, Says that he observed a Bruise upon the Right side of Deced’s Head, which Bled, Says that the Deced Continued Speechless and died in about
half an hour, Says that he saw the Surgeon dress the Deced’s Head, and that he then observed a large Fracture in the Scull, which he believes was the cause of Deced’s Death, And this Dept. further says that no Person was in the Room with Deced when he fell out at the Window, Excepting the two little Children in the Cradle.

The Mark of
[mark]
Alexander Monro

Sworn the Day Year & Place abovementioned before me
Tho. Prickard Coroner }”

It’s astonishing to think Letitia was one of those children being rocked in the cradle!

Best wishes,

Carol Brill,
Old Beach,
Tasmania.

By: Peter Heritage

Peter Heritage — Sun, 21 Aug 2016 14:18:19 +0000

As usual another glass clad building is erected at the expense of a lovely old building. I wonder in Sugar has ever drunk in the pub. As years go on London will soon resemble Chicago and the likes. I don’t see this happening in Paris or other major European cities. I ask myself what is the Corporation of London or the mayor of London doing to preserve these buildings. What next, St. Paul’s turned into a gastro pub…

By: Elizabeth cornwell

Elizabeth cornwell — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 17:15:27 +0000

There really should be a special hell for these “developers”& businessmen who create these dreadful buildings by pulling down interesting old ones.Soon the’ll be nothing left but soulless empty skyscrapers that no one wants,or indeed wnated in the first place.Boris has a lot to answer for!

By: William Serridge

William Serridge — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 15:12:16 +0000

As an artist who specialises in painting old buildings, I am passionate about them for their aesthetic and historical qualities – as are many like-minded people here. How appalling – the very idea of demolishing such an attractive building of architectural and historical significance. As a child in my home town of Liverpool, I saw the destruction of whole areas of beautiful old buildings – only to be replaced with ugly, sub-standard structures (which in most cases, have not withstood the test of time). It was said that ‘the heart had been ripped out of the city.’ Once such destruction is undertaken, it can never be reversed – the character of a place has changed forever. Only an ignorant, money-grubbing philistine could contemplate demolishing the White Heart. We should cherish and protect all of the historical buildings that we still have left.

By: Christina Welch

Christina Welch — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 08:23:01 +0000

Why destroy more of London’s history? Our past is important, it grounds us. It would be foolish to let it go given how much has already been lost

By: Richard Skelton

Richard Skelton — Sun, 04 Jan 2015 14:11:57 +0000

Another part of London’s history gone for no good reason.

By: Charlie06

Charlie06 — Fri, 02 Jan 2015 14:31:55 +0000

This is a disgrace.

I have enjoyed a pint in this pub in the past, and to see it demolished like this is very, very sad.

There seems to be little consideration given to the preservation of the soul of our historic City.

By: Peter Holford

Peter Holford — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 09:21:38 +0000

Progress? I’m not sure how people in the City measure it any more apart from counting it in pounds. For some Shanghai appears to be their model and they wouldn’t care if London ends up looking like a clone of it.

By: Linda M

Linda M — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 17:02:24 +0000

It makes me weep to see bit by bit the soul of the historic City being ripped out and replaced with these flashy and out-of-scale buildings by those in thrall to greed and self-aggrandisement. What can we do to stop it before any more of our precious heritage is lost forever?

By: Nicholas Whitsun-Jones

Nicholas Whitsun-Jones — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 15:58:51 +0000

“There were many coaching inns on Bishopsgate and The White Hart Inn, was claimed to be the oldest, it has a date of 1480 displayed across its medieval façade in historic images. Although rebuilt in 1829 following the creation of Liverpool Street, White Hart Court partially survives and is a reminder of the Inn’s galleried courtyard and the dense network of alleys which previously existed on the west side of Bishopsgate”. This is from the City of London’s own September 2014 “Character Summary and Management Strategy SPD” document on the Bishopsgate Conservation Area, so how can it be demolished? See: http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/services/environment-and-planning/planning/heritage-and-design/conservation-areas/Documents/bishopsgate-conservation-area-spd-sept-14.pdf