Queen Elizabeth's Bath in the King's Mews/ Frontier Court.

 

Queen Elizabeth's Bath by the King's Mews.

Actually at the West end of Frontier Court, off the West side of St Martin's Lane, jusust East of the Mews.

Two Engravings from Original Drawings by George Scharf.

Queen Elizabeth's Bath formerly stood among a cluster of old buildings adjoining the King's Mews at Charing Cross, and was removed in 1831. 

Of this Bath a plan and view were presented to the Society of Antiquaries, February 9, 1832, and are engraved in the " Archasologia," xxv. 588-90. (above).

 The building on the plan was nearly square, and was constructed of fine red brick. Its chief merit consisted in its groined roof, which was of very neat workmanship, and formed by angular ribs springing from corbels. 

The form of the arch denoted the date of this building to be the fifteenth century. —

See Timbs's Curiosities of London, 1868, p. 39.

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Gentleman's Magazine Ref.

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Detail from a Plan of the Kings Mews.

This undated plan must have been prepared before the rebuilding of the stables designed by William Kent in 1732.

I will in due course put together detailed studies of the Kings Mews and the area around Charing Cross.

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Plan of the water supplies to the Conduits - 1715.

No 19 on the plan is at or near the Queens Bath in Frontier Court.

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Queen Elizabeth's Bath within the premises of Messrs Hayward and Nixon.

at the West end of Frontier Court off St Martin's Lane.

Plan of 1830.

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William Faden's 4th Edition of 1819 (revised) of Horwood's Map of London. 

Showing the proposed improvement.

The purchase of the inn (The Golden Cross) at the time of these improvements was by far the largest that the Commissioners had to make. It was concluded on December 28, 1827, when the extensive premises, with three houses in St. Martin's Lane and two houses and workshops in Frontier Court, were bought of George Howard and others for the sum of £3o,ooo.

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The Lower Part of St Martin's Lane, West side 1830.

Drawing by George Scharf - British Museum.

Note Moons Tool Warehouse - next to the entrance of the Golden Cross Yard.

Entrance to Frontier Court underneath the premises of S Wolf, Taylor.

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Hayward and Nixon's Premises in Frontier Court viewed from a back window of a house on the West side of St Martin's Lane, pre 1830.

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1862-0614-100

Messrs Hayward and Nixon subsequently relocated to Stangate, Lambeth.

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James Fraser, 1740 - c.1813. Bookbinder.

4, White Hart Court, Castle Street, Leicester Fields. (behind Peters Court) Prior to 1779.

1, Frontier Court, No.139 St Martin's Lane (1802). (1782). Later Fraser and Son.

139 St Martin's Lane.

84, St. Martin's Lane.

James Fraser Trade Card.

1793.

Engraved by Walker

British Museum.

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_D-2-542

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James Fraser looking rather smug.

Fraser's avuncular appearance belied his reputation as a stern taskmaster; in 1786 he became notorious for joining other bookbinding masters in a combination that prosecuted five journeymen bookbinders who were attempting to reduce their working day, which lasted from 6 am to 8 pm with a half hour break for breakfast and one hour for lunch. 

The journeymen lost their case and were jailed for two years. Source: Jonathan E. Hill, 'In a Bind', Electronic British Library Journal, 2014, article 17.

Extract above from BM website.

Engraved by William Poole after Dighton. 1807.

In this portrait, master bookbinder James Fraser (1740-after 1813) of St. Martin’s Lane holds a paper headed, “A Plan for reconciling the difference between the Masters and Journeymen Bookbinders.” On the table are three books: Memoirs of Mr. Pitt, Estimates of Bookbinders, and Anecdotes of Lord Nelson, along with the newspaper The Oracle, May 28 1802.

 

These elements refer to Fraser’s his role as one of three “Prosecuting Masters” in the 1786 trade dispute among bookbinders. He described the costs of binding different types of books and advocated a piece-rate method of working, rather than the customary fixed weekly wage. One request was to reduce the work day from 14 hours to 13 hours. A strike, a trial and imprisonment of five men followed.

for further info. see - https://books.google.com/books?id=tJHPAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA120&lpg=PA120&dq=james+fraser+bookbinder+prison&source=bl&ots=vqv5_bJ5sC&sig=oFwnsTTMhSr12HCWc-Mq0YIQerI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=thOjVd-qENLfggSGgbjYCg&ved=0CDEQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=james%20fraser%20bookbinder%20prison&f=false

Images and information above from

https://graphicarts.princeton.edu/2015/07/13/the-difference-between-bookbinders/

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Trade Card of Fraser and Son.

Removed to 84 St Martins Lane.

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_Heal-16-19

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Thomas Harris, Cabinet Maker.

 2 Frontier Ct, St Martin's Lane, London, c (1786). 

Took out a Sun Insurance policy on 31 July 1786 for £100, £20 accounting for utensils. [GL, Sun MS vol. 338, p. 231]

https://bifmo.furniturehistorysociety.org/entry/harris-thomas-1786..

Moon's Tool Warehouse, 145 St Martin's Lane.

https://mshepherdpiano.com/antique-piano-tools/http-mshepherdpiano-com-antique-piano-tools-early-english-mitre-planes-part-ii/

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The Adventures of Jack Wonder written by himself.

London : printed for T. Jones, at his circulating library, in Great May's-Buildings, St. Martin's-Lane, 1766?