by Dorothee Schröder
Belonging to Bread Street Ward, Little Distaff Lane was originally located where Cannon Street now runs.
After the post–World War II redevelopment, it became known simply as Distaff Lane, a short stretch running south of St Paul’s Cathedral from Cannon Street, past St Nicholas Cole Abbey, down to Queen Victoria Street.
The former Little Distaff Lane lay opposite Cordwainers’ Hall at No. 7 Cannon Street, and this building reveals the origin of the street’s name. Old and New London records: “Cordwainers’ Hall, No. 7, Cannon Street, is the third of the same Company’s halls on this site, and was built in 1788 by Sylvanus Hall. The stone front, by Adam, has a sculptured medallion of a country girl spinning with a distaff, emblematic of the name of the lane, and of the thread used by cordwainers or shoemakers.”
St Nicholas Cole Abbey is dedicated to St Nicholas of Myra, with origins dating back to the twelfth century. Destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666, it was rebuilt between 1672 and 1678 as the first of Wren’s churches to be reconstructed. When Queen Victoria Street was laid out in 1874, its southern side had to be remodelled to create a new entrance façade. The church was once again destroyed during the Blitz and was rebuilt by architect Arthur Bailey in 1961–62. From 1982 to 2003, St Nicholas Cole Abbey served as a congregation of the Free Church of Scotland.
Between St Nicholas Cole Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral lies Distaff Lane Garden, a pocket garden designed by Tom Stuart-Smith and opened in 2019. According to the designer: “The garden has been designed with a small cluster of trees, rather like a copse. An organic web of interweaving paths divides the space, allowing for the creation of a variety of intimate and open spaces. Birch trees allow for delicate filtering of views across the garden and in winter act as bright white sculptures. A solitary pin oak provides a connection between the garden and the predominant street trees on Distaff Lane. The trees are underplanted with a mix of shade and drought tolerant perennials and grasses.
An existing sculpture of Icarus by Michael Ayrton has been relocated to the middle of the garden, and a water wall inspired by fish scales acts as a bookend to the garden.”
The area around Distaff Lane is deeply rooted in history, yet it clearly reflects the changing pattern of the City’s streets.
Cover picture: Distaff Lane and the surrounding area (Map: OpenStreetMap)
