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Drury Lane is a street in the Covent Garden
Covent Garden

Covent Garden is a district in London, England, located on the easternmost parts of the City of Westminster and the southwest corner of the London Borough of Camden....
 area of London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
, running between Aldwych
Aldwych

Aldwych is a place and road in the City of Westminster in London, England. The road is a crescent, connecting to Strand, London at both ends....
 and High Holborn
High Holborn

High Holborn is a road in Holborn in central London, England. It starts in the west near St Giles' Circus, then goes east, past Bloomsbury Street, the Kingsway and Southampton Row, and continues east....
. The northern part is in the borough of Camden
London Borough of Camden

The London Borough of Camden is a London borough of London, England, which forms part of Inner London. The southern reaches of Camden form part of Central London....
 and the southern part in the City of Westminster
City of Westminster

The City of Westminster is a London borough of London with City status in the United Kingdom. It is located west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, and forms part of Inner London and the bulk of London's central area....
.

It took its start from the west end of Wych Street, redeveloped in the later nineteenth century as Aldwych
Aldwych

Aldwych is a place and road in the City of Westminster in London, England. The road is a crescent, connecting to Strand, London at both ends....
.






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Oxfam Shop On Drury Lane
Drury Lane is a street in the Covent Garden
Covent Garden

Covent Garden is a district in London, England, located on the easternmost parts of the City of Westminster and the southwest corner of the London Borough of Camden....
 area of London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
, running between Aldwych
Aldwych

Aldwych is a place and road in the City of Westminster in London, England. The road is a crescent, connecting to Strand, London at both ends....
 and High Holborn
High Holborn

High Holborn is a road in Holborn in central London, England. It starts in the west near St Giles' Circus, then goes east, past Bloomsbury Street, the Kingsway and Southampton Row, and continues east....
. The northern part is in the borough of Camden
London Borough of Camden

The London Borough of Camden is a London borough of London, England, which forms part of Inner London. The southern reaches of Camden form part of Central London....
 and the southern part in the City of Westminster
City of Westminster

The City of Westminster is a London borough of London with City status in the United Kingdom. It is located west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, and forms part of Inner London and the bulk of London's central area....
.

It took its start from the west end of Wych Street, redeveloped in the later nineteenth century as Aldwych
Aldwych

Aldwych is a place and road in the City of Westminster in London, England. The road is a crescent, connecting to Strand, London at both ends....
. The lane led to the house built by Sir William Drury, Knight of the Garter in Queen Elizabeth's reign. Drury House, with a coachyard in front and a garden in back, was a scene of the intrigues that led to the ill-fated rebellion of the Queen's favourite
Favourite

In historical writings, when used in reference to a person, favourite, also spelled favorite , means the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person....
, the Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex

Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex , a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I of England, is the best-known of the many holders of the title "Earl of Essex." He was a military hero and royal favourite, but following a poor campaign against Irish rebels during the Nine Years War in 1599, he defied the Queen and was executed for treason....
. In the 17th century it was the London house of the Earl of Craven
William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven (1608-1697)

William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven, Privy Council of England was an English nobleman and soldier. His father William Craven was born in a poor family in Appletreewick in North Yorkshire but moved to London, became wealthy, and was Lord Mayor of the City of London in 1610....
, then a public house
Public house

A public house, the formal name for a pub in Britain, is a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic beverage for consumption on or off the premises in countries and regions of United Kingdom influence....
 under the sign of his reputed mistress, the Queen of Bohemia
Elizabeth of Bohemia

Elisabeth, Electress Palatine and Queen of Bohemia was the eldest daughter of James I of England, King of England, Scotland and Ireland, and Anne of Denmark....
, but by the eighteenth century Drury Lane had become one of the worst slums in London, dominated by prostitution and gin palace
Gin palace

A gin palace is an England name originally for a lavish bar selling gin, later transferred by association to late Victorian era pubs designed in a similar style....
s. The area was eventually cleared to make way for the developments of Kingsway
Kingsway (London)

Kingsway is a major road in central London in the United Kingdom, designated as part of the A4200 road. It runs from High Holborn, at its north end in the London Borough of Camden, and meets Aldwych in the south in the City of Westminster at Bush House....
 and Aldwych
Aldwych

Aldwych is a place and road in the City of Westminster in London, England. The road is a crescent, connecting to Strand, London at both ends....
.

The name of the street is often used to refer to the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a London borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane....
, which has in different incarnations been located in Drury Lane since the 17th century. Also in Drury Lane is the New London Theatre
New London Theatre

The New London Theatre is a West End theatre located on the corners of Drury Lane and Parker Street in Covent Garden, in the London Borough of Camden....
.

The street Drury Lane is also where The Muffin Man
The Muffin Man

The Muffin Man is a traditional nursery rhyme or children's song of England origin. The most widely known lyrics are as follows:Do you know the Muffin Man?...
 lives as mentioned in a popular children's song:
"Do you know the Muffin Man?
The Muffin Man, the Muffin Man.
Do you know the Muffin Man,
Who lives on Drury Lane?"


173 Drury Lane was the location of the first J Sainsbury store, now one of the UK's largest retailers. The store was opened in 1869.

See also

  • Covent Garden
    Covent Garden

    Covent Garden is a district in London, England, located on the easternmost parts of the City of Westminster and the southwest corner of the London Borough of Camden....
  • Restoration comedy
    Restoration comedy

    Restoration comedy refers to English Comedy written and performed in the English Restoration period from 1660 to 1710. After public stage performances had been banned for 18 years by the Puritan regime, the re-opening of the theatres in 1660 signalled a rebirth of English drama....
  • Colley Cibber
    Colley Cibber

    Colley Cibber was a British actor-manager, playwright, and Poet laureate#British_Poets_Laureate. His colourful memoir Apology for the Life of Colley Cibber started a British tradition of personal, anecdotal, and even rambling autobiography....
  • List of eponymous roads in London
    List of eponymous roads in London

    The following is a list of eponymous roads in London.External linksReferences...


External links

  • Date accessed: 18 March 2007.