(click image to enlarge)
Austin Friars was an Augustinian friary in the City of London from the mid 13th century until its dissolution in November 1538 (on the orders of Thomas Cromwell). Covering approximately 5 1/2 acres, it was sited between Old Broad Street and London Wall and was home to approximately 60 friars. The friary church in the centre, was surrounded by buildings which provided accommodation for the resident friars and their visitors and large gardens for fruit, vegetables and medicinal herbs.
Other buildings surrounding the precinct included properties that were leased to notable people, including Erasmus (who left without paying his rent) and Thomas Cromwell who lived there from c1522. As his importance within Henry VIII’s court increased, Cromwell purchased more land from the friars (ultimately 2 acres) and built one of the grandest private houses in London. The dissolution of the friary in 1538 was on his orders, but after his execution in July 1540, his property and the friary precinct was seized by the Crown and sold.
Much of it came into the possession of Sir William Paulet, the First Marquess of Winchester, who built Winchester House, a large mansion for himself. By the late 18th century, the house had fallen into disrepair and was occupied by a packing company, H W Mills, as seen in this Thomas Hosmer Shepherd drawing. Cromwell’s mansion was repurposed as the Drapers' Hall and the nave of the friary church became the Dutch Church at Austin Friars, the latter surviving until it was bombed in the Blitz in 1940 and rebuilt between 1950-56.
A tonal watercolour of the same title, but dated 1830 and from a slightly different angle with more figures, is in the collection of the London Museum.
8 & 10 Ryder Street, St James’s, London SW1Y 6QB
gallery@chrisbeetles.com
020 7839 7551
© Chris Beetles Ltd 2025 | Accessibility | Privacy | Sitemap
