Dorville Row, Nos. 182 to 224 King Street

XLIII.—DORVILLE ROW (Nos. 182 to 198) and Nos. 200 to 224 KING STREET

This long row of shops preserves to a certain extent its late 18thcentury character. Nos. 182 to 198 constitute the original Dorville Row, but they are less picturesque than the remaining houses, since their plastered front walls are now crowned by parapets in place of the original eaves. Nos. 200 to 224 are of two storeys, with rooms in their mansard roofs which are slated and provided with dormer windows. On the first floor, throughout the wall is plastered and forms a too ready background for advertisements. No. 208 is the Foresters' Arms.

Historical note.

The only mention we find of the Row in Faulkner (fn. 1) is to the effect that a Mr. Crook took a lease for ninety-nine years. From an indenture (fn. 2) dated 12th July, 1780, "between John Dorville of Ravens Court . . . Hammersmith, Esq., and John Crook of the same hamlet, timber merchant," relating to a piece of land on the west side of Frog Lane (later Webb's Lane, and now Dalling Road), Dorville Row is described as "houses belonging to the said John Dorville standing in King Street." The Row was clearly named after the Dorville family who occupied Ravenscourt. The references to the terrace in the Fulham Manor Court Rolls are also very scanty. Amongst a number of entries relative to property belonging to the Dorvilles in the year 1799, we pick up a thread on the admission of Anne Dorville at a Special Court Baron to Nos. 1 to 8 Dorville Row, in King Street, abutting east on Frog Lane, south on the Great Western Road, west on 9 Dorville Row on the site of other houses, to which John Dorville was admitted 13th November, 1776, on the surrender of Henry Thomas Gott. We get two entries relating to No. 9, for we find that Elizabeth Hanthorne lived in this house herself, and was admitted to it on surrender of John Dorville on 3rd November, 1796, on the yearly quit rent of 2d., and again on 5th March, 1799, James Milne of Grosvenor Street is admitted to this house on the death of Elizabeth Hanthorne. The admission of John Dorville on 13th November, 1776, reads as follows: "to 5 customary tenements theretofore in occupation of John Hinton and 2 acres of land behind them and all other customary lands and tenements theretofore of Bernard Hutchinson and Mabel his wife on part of which premises are now standing 9 messuages now or late in the occupation of Williams, Lucas, Watkins, Goodall, Haines, Davis, Tripp, Stevenson, and Mooring and all the garden ground behind in the occupation of Mrs. Bentley which premises abut east on Frog Lane, north on premises in the occupation of Mrs. Stevens conveyed or intended to be conveyed by the said Henry Thomas Gott to John Dorville, west on premises of John Dorville formerly the estate of Richard Dunn Gott who surrendered having been admitted November 25th under the name of Henry Thomas Greening."

A further entry in the year 1761 says that Thomas Greening (who was admitted by copy of Court Roll dated 5th December, 1735, on surrender of Richard Dunn and Elizabeth his wife) "leaves all those 5 customary messuages heretofore in the occupation of John Hinton and 2 acres of land behind formerly in the occupation of John Lacey to his son Henry Thomas Greening."

In the Council's ms. collection is:

Nos. 200 to 224 King Street (photograph).