Grays Inn Terrace

Grays Inn Terrace

The family of William Banks lived at 11 Grays Inn Terrace, between about 1841 [1] and 1855 [2]. This leasehold property was held by Henry Osborn and the rent was paid by Henry Osborn, Son and Banks, stable keepers and dealers in horses in Kings Mews.

The location of Grays Inn Terrace has been the subject of some uncertainty. The UCL site [3] notes that “Its listing in the 1841 census suggests it was one of the terraces on the south part of Gray’s Inn Road, but it does not appear on most maps. It may have been the terrace on the west side of the road north of King’s Road which appears on Horwood’s maps [and Greenwoods’ map of 1830] as ‘The Terrace’.”

The Post Office Directory of 1841 [4] is not clear either, for it states that Grays Inn Terrace is located between 67 Grays Inn Lane and 1 Kings Road, but the location of no. 67 is uncertain. From a comparison of Greenwoods’ Map of London 2nd edition, 1830 [5] with the modern streets, it is clear that Kings Road was originally that part of Theobalds Road from Bedford Row to Grays Inn Road and Grays Inn Lane was renamed Grays Inn Road. No 1 Kings Road might be expected to be on the corner of Kings Road and the west side of Grays Inn Lane but the 1841 directory suggests that 67 Grays Inn Lane is located between Portpool Lane and Liquorpond Street. These are on the east of Grays Inn Lane and are the present-day Portpool Lane and the first part of Clerkenwell Road from Grays Inn Road respectively. Grays Inn Terrace could from this description therefore be on either side of Grays Inn Lane, somewhere near the intersection of Grays Inn Road and Theobalds Road /Clerkenwell Road and perhaps on the south side.

However, from the sequence of house coverage in the censuses of 1841, 51 and 61 and from a map found in the 1846 Post Office Directory of London it is clear that Grays Inn Terrace is indeed the section marked ‘Terrace” on the Greenwoods’ 1830 map. The evidence may be summarised as follows:

1. In district 14 of the census of 1841, North Place (12 houses) is covered immediately before Grays Inn Terrace (15 houses).

2. In district 5c of the 1851 census, the progression is from 108 and 109 Grays Inn Lane to Grays Inn Terrace, North Place and then round to the south side of Henry Street. The descriptive introduction states that “This district commences with some houses situate on the west side of the north end of Grays Inn Lane and continues along the south side of Henry Street...”

3. The census of 1861 follows the same order and mentions that 1 Grays Inn Terrace is the “Yorkshire Grey”, as does the Post Office Directory 1841.

4. “The Yorkshire Grey has stood proud on the corner of Grays Inn Road and Theobald’s Road since 1676” [6], so this must mark the site of no.1 Grays Inn Terrace, which then proceeds north to North Place along the west side of Grays Inn Lane.

Modified 22 August 2013

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