- Cecil House
Cecil House refers to two historical mansions on the Strand, London.
The first, also called Exeter House or Burghley House, was on the north side of the Strand; it was built in the 16th century by Lord Burghley as an expansion of an existing house, and after his death there in 1598 became the residence of his elder son Thomas Cecil, later Earl of Exeter. It was converted in 1676 into
Exeter Exchange .The second, more commonly known as Salisbury House, was built on the waterfront opposite the existing house, by Burghley's younger son Robert Cecil, around the turn of the 17th century. It was divided by his heir William into two parts, of which the lesser was demolished in 1678 to make room for a new residential street, Salisbury Street. The central part of the building was converted to shops, and officially renamed the Middle Exchange, though colloquially the building was of ill repute, being known as the Whores Nest; this part of the building was finally demolished around 1695, along with the remainder of the house, to make room for a new road named Cecil Street. The site was subsequently used for the
Cecil Hotel , named for this house, and is currently occupied byShell Mex House .References
* 'The Strand, southern tributaries - continued', Old and New London: Volume 3 (1878), pp. 100–110. URL: [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=45138] . Date accessed: 02 October 2006.
* [http://www.londononline.co.uk/history/tudor/5/ Salisbury House at London Online]
* Smith, John Thomas. "The Streets of London" (1861), pp. 144–145.Further reading
* Henderson, P. & Husselby, J. 'Location, Location, Location! Cecil House on the Strand'. "Architectural History" 45 (2002), pp. 159–193.
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