Goodwin's Court

Goodwin's Court is a narrow historical alleyway off St Martin's Lane in London, famous for its 1690 row houses, late eighteenth-century bow-fronted shopfronts, and still-functioning gas lamps. Saved from demolition in the 1930s by Leslie Sympson, this former Victorian slum court served as the office for legendary theatrical agent Peggy Ramsay. Although a plaque commemorates King Charles II's mistress Nell Gwyn, she actually died in 1687, three years before the houses were built.

London · from the walk “London's Best-Kept Secrets” · audio ~4 min · Generated

Goodwin's Court, St Martin's Lane, London WC2N 4LL

Why does Goodwin's Court in London have a plaque for Nell Gwyn if she died in 1687?

Now look carefully at this one... Step down from Saint Martin's Lane into a passage so narrow that two people can barely walk abreast... and you've just slipped through a crack in time.......... This is Goodwin's Court. The houses on the south side were built in sixteen ninety, though the gorgeous bow-fronted shopfronts you see came later, in the late eighteenth century. The alley is about two hundred and eighty feet long and barely two metres wide. Look at those polished black doors with their brass knockers. Those bulging bay windows. And notice the gas lamps... these are among the few remaining gas lamps in London, and they Still work today.......... But this wasn't always so charming. Goodwin's Court once sat bang in the middle of one of London's most notorious slum areas, known as the Bedfordbury Slums, whose residents were the lowest paid working-class families. Victorian journalist George Augustus Sala described the alleys off Bedfordbury as "reeking courts." The eighteen eighty-one census shows this tiny passage housed tailors, coachmakers, waiters, clockmakers, an oysterman, a printer, and an upholsterer... all crammed together in these miniature buildings.......... Now, here's a legend the alley keeps alive. One of the rumoured early residents was actress and royal mistress Nell Gwyn, who was linked to Covent Garden and this parish during her short life. She was the famous orange seller at nearby Drury Lane Theatre who became the sweetheart of King Charles the Second. But here's the catch... Nell Gwyn died in sixteen eighty-seven. That's Three years before these houses were even built. So she couldn't have lived in any of the buildings you see now. Still, number nine on the north side bears a plaque with her name, and the legend persists.......... By the nineteen thirties, this court had deteriorated so badly it was deemed unfit for human habitation. A man named Leslie Sympson of the West End stepped in, bought the Whole street, and restored the houses. Without him, everything you see would have been demolished.......... And here's a detail most people walk right past. For her Entire career, legendary theatrical agent Peggy Ramsay ran her business right here in Goodwin's Court. Her clients included Alan Ayckbourn, Joe Orton, David Hare, and even Eugène Ionesco. She was so fierce and brilliant that Vanessa Redgrave played her in the nineteen eighty-seven film Prick Up Your Ears. Imagine... some of the greatest playwrights of the twentieth century climbed these very steps to pitch their work.......... And yes... the Harry Potter connection. It's never been confirmed by J. K. Rowling which street truly inspired Diagon Alley. It IS rumoured that Goodwin's Court was considered as a filming location for the Harry Potter franchise but rejected because it was too narrow for the equipment. Whether or not Rowling ever walked this passage, you can understand why thousands of fans come here wearing cloaks and wizard hats. In an alley this narrow, this old, still lit by gaslight... a little magic doesn't feel far-fetched at all.

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