December 2008
Street features
Every Covent Garden Street has its own history, some more desirable than others.
Please select street below and meet some of Covent Garden’s characters over the years.
- Please choose a street from the below -
Neal's Yard
The alleyway connecting Short’s Gardens with Monmouth Street widens in the middle forming Neal’s Yard, taking its name from Thomas Neale Master of the Mint who developed Seven Dials from 1693 to around 1710. Warehouses here were tied up with the activities of the fruit and vegetable market; a large area was used by a wheelwright, a packing-case manufacturer and a potato salesman.
In the 1970s the Yard still contained a firm of armourers called Robert White & Son. Owned by Charles Fox Ltd, theatrical costumiers (now specialists in theatrical make-up), Robert White made swords and armour for theatrical use. One of their most famous commissions was for replicas of the Crown Jewels - indeed they produced the replica used in the rehearsal for the Queen’s Coronation in 1953. According to Dave Allen who has worked for Charles Fox since 1953, Robert White was originally based in Broad Court in the early 1930s. The company moved to Neal Street then Neal’s Yard, finally closing down from premises on Gray’s Inn Road no longer being able to find specialist craftsmen to work for them.
Until circa 1975, Theatre Studios Ltd, Scenery Makers were based at 2 Neal’s Yard. They literally made every conceivable prop for the theatre and television including head-dresses for The Three Musketeers and a white asses head for a production of ‘Midsummer Nights Dream’.
Neal’s Yard was also home to Newman’s Chocolates owned by American Anchel Newman who arrived in England in 1927. A victim of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, he emigrated to Australia and when holidaying in London discovered that chocolates could be sold all year round, even in summer, without developing a ‘bloom’ as they tended to in the heat of Australian summers. He set up in Neal’s Yard in the building now occupied by Holland & Barrett and had shops in Shaftesbury Avenue, Argyle Street, Fleet Street and the Aldwych. As far as I can discover the company is no longer in business today.
Neal’s Yard is perhaps now known best as a wholefood haven and what remains of ‘alternative’ Covent Garden. Hanging baskets and ivy create the image of somewhere one step removed from the fast paced life of the rest of the area. The idea of Neal’s Yard as a wholefood paradise was conceived by Nick Saunders in the early ’70s. Known as one of the leaders of ‘alternative London’, his aim was to revive a sense of village community and he set up a series of businesses without government subsidy. Despite council opposition, nearly all are still going today.
Around 20 years ago, Nicholas Saunders approached a friend interested in alternative medicine, Romy Fraser, and in 1981 Neal’s Yard Remedies was born. Romy’s vision was to supply alternative medicines in a safe and informative way. Inspired by holiday visits to France, she noticed many pharmacies sold a wide range of natural medicines then unavailable in Britain. One of her provisos was that staff in the shop should be able to guide customers in creating their own natural first aid kits and a homeopath and herbalist were on hand. With 300 UK outlets and a thriving mail order business, the company still adheres to the vision of promoting good health and the philosophy that individuals must take full responsibility for their own health.
Neal’s Yard Dairy has also seen the area through some changes. Established in 1979 the Dairy specialises in providing high quality and unusual British cheeses from small and often family run producers in the British Isles. It started life selling mostly ice cream and Greek style yoghurt produced in the shop. This was fine for the summer months but in winter trade was poor and the Dairy started selling cheese. On visiting their suppliers they discovered many producers that had been making cheese for generations, and decided to sell and supply specialty British cheeses. Today they still take care to ensure that maximum effort is put into the maturation process. You can sample any of the cheese available in the store, not to mention the olives, oils, breads, chutneys and yoghurts.
Other famous Neal’s Yard establishments, complementing Nick Saunder’s Neal’s Yard ideal are the Therapy Rooms, the Soup and Salad Bar, several vegetarian cafés, the East West Herbs Shop, Neal’s Yard Bakery and just around the corner, the Monmouth Street Coffee Shop, another Saunders initiative. The water clock above what was the Wholefood Warehouse, now Holland & Barrett, still chimes on the hour.
But even if getting healthy isn’t your thing there’s plenty to attract you to Neal’s Yard. Slam City Skates is a cult skateboarding shop with its basement home to Rough Trade Records, Hair by Fairy offers body piercing and you can lose your tensions at the Walk in Back Rub shop. Even today it retains an air of distinct community.
