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Grovesnor Square Mary Davies had brought the extensive properties to the Grovesnor family. Previously the lands had been considered in the late seventeenth century as the wilds and outskirts of London. At the start of the eighteenth century most of the wealthy in London still lived in magnificent mansions along the Strand with access to the river, which had been the main means of transport. Grosvenor Square was built on the site of what had been a riotous fair held there each May, and not surprisingly, known as the May Fair, thus giving its name to what was to become one of London's most exclusive suburbs. The Grosvenors changed the methods of property development and made their fortune by reducing the length of leases. When most land owneres leased their properties at this time they generally did long leases, for some 999 years. The Grosvenors made their leases 99 years. Not only did it keep their income high, they had frequent renewals, but it let them keep the area highly exclusive.
Even so, it was still on the very edge of London. Hyde Park Corner was considered the very edge of London, from 1721 the tollgate which had stood at Picadilly hear Berkeley street was moved here and used until 1825. Kensington Palace lay 2 miles beyond this point and the up until the beginning of the nineteenth century even this small peice of ground between Knightsbridge and Kensington were considered dangerous. If we continue past Hyde Park Corner, taking the West road to Bath we will travel along the route taken by Drelincourt, Lethdridge and the Earl of Rule to Meering which is said to be near Twyford.
From the Hyde Park Toll Gate it is some 34 or 5 miles to Twyford;
Between London and Hounslow Heath we hear that Mr Drelincourt
went out of town by Knightsbridge, and changes horses
at "The George" just before Hounslow some 9 3/4 miles from town. Horses were generally changed every 8-12 miles
en route and he would have wanted fresh horses before travelling across Hounslow Heath.
(Pictured above)
There is another "George" mentioned later, by Sir Roland who points out, Pelham is confusing "The George" at Colnbrook with "The Pigeons" at Brentford. Colnbrook
is just beyond Hounslow on the Bath Road with "The Pigeons" in Brentford (Brentford in 1796
is pictured above). This
was one of the most famous inns of past times but was demolished in 1850.It stood near the market square and was
a popular resort for sixteenth and seventeeth century Londoners. Johnson wirtes of it;
The Bridge at Brentford is pictured above (pic from 1785). Just as a side note, Brentford is also the place where Julius Caesar crossed the Thames in 54 BC. The picture of Hounslow Heath (near the top) shows the rolling grassland and footpad-concealing thickets. It was not until the advent of the Bow Street Horse patrol at the turn of the nineteenth century that highwaymen and footpads who roamed Hounslow Heath (where Pelham, Captain Heron and friends attempt to hold up a coach) were expelled and travel past the outskirts of town made safe. Even as late as 1820, when the picture to the right was finished, Hounslow was a bleak and open area. The Pelham and company speculate that Lethbridge will eat either at "The George" at Colnbrook or the "King's Head" at Longford. The King's Head later had a name change and is now better known as "The Peggy Bedford" after a famous landlady in Mid-Victorian Times. The inn would be some 700 years old now but it was gutted by fire in 1937. It had previously been known of as a Highwayman's hideout as it had a hidey hole in it and boasted a few legends of Dick Turpin as well. There are a number of old inns in Colnbrook including "The Ostrich" which was a long double-gabled Elizabethan building. Between Colnbrook and Maidenhead is the Village of Slough where Drelincourt plans to change horses a second time at the Crown Inn Maidenhead lies just beyond Salt Hill, which was made famous by the Four-horse club which used to drive out en masse to eat at one of the inns here during the season. Maidenhead's High Street was once lined with inns of which "The Sun" was one - although I can't find much more information about it other than that. About a mile beyond Maidenhead is the Maidenhead Thicket, a notorious place of concealment for Highwaymen. If it is only 6 miles to Meering from the Thicket,one would assume that Lord Rule's house lies somewhere just before Twyford. However he does suggest to his unwelcome guest that a change of horses might be had at the "Red Lion" in Twyford.
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