History of Bream's Buildings
What of the history of 11-13 Bream's Buildings prior to George Carter's occupation? 11-13 Bream's Buildings' site and its surroundings are shown in a map of about 1560 as occupied by small fields or gardens with dividing hedgerows; the main street was called "Chancerie La".
The first mention of Bream's Buildings itself is in W. Stow's Remarks on London, etc., 1722:
"called "Breem's Buildings" (Rocque, 1746), at which time it had no thoroughfare into Fetter Lane. That extension was carried out in 1877."
(From: 'Brantefeldesselde - Bretask (la), Dowgate', A Dictionary of London (1918).http://www.british-history.ac.uk)
The Bream's Building was opened by The Prince of Wales on Fetter Lane in 1885 and was the home of Birkbeck College for 65 years.
[This image has been provided by Birkbeck Photo Unit and copyright belongs to Birkbeck. We are grateful to Birkbeck for permission to use the image].
In 1820; according to the City of London, London Metropolitan Archive, William Haylittle carried on the business of chandler and coal merchant from No. 13.
In the 1890's, 11-13 became the home of the publication "Notes and Queries" - a periodical published to the present day, an Oxford Journal. We are most grateful to Oxford University Press for their assistance in connection with this part of the history of the building. According to Oxford Journal's website, the "primary intention of Notes and Queries was, and still remains, the asking and answering of readers' questions". An interesting predecessor for an office of lawyers today, aspiring to do the same for their clients.
Notes and Queries was first published in 1849 as a weekly periodical - originally subtitled "A Medium of Inter Communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquities, Genealogists, etc" and was printed by noon every Friday in London, so that copies could reach the larger provincial booksellers by railway in time to be distributed to subscribers the following day. Its founder and first editor was a William John Thoms, made famous for being the first person to have coined the term "folklore" and perhaps rather less famous for works such as "Numismatic Illustrations of the Narrative Portions of the New Testament".
Notes and Queries moved to 11-13 - "the New Offices at Bream's Buildings Chancery Lane" - at the end of March 1892, and occupied at least No 11 for many years. No 13 was the offices of the Athenaeum Press.
It seems likely that "Notes and Queries" moved here relatively quickly after the construction of 11-13 as we know it today. 7-9 Bream's Buildings was constructed in 1896; the Lease term referred to in the Harold Williams & Partners Auction particulars for the sale of 11-13 Bream's Buildings was 80 years from 24 June 1891. This document is reproduced by the kind permission of City of London, London Metropolitan Archive
By the time Harold Williams & Partners auctioned the building on 21 April 1937, 11-13 was let to "St Martin's Review", "The Enquirer" and "The English Review". Those with an acquaintance with the interior of 11-13 prior to the recent refurbishment would tell you that the accommodation described in those Auction Particulars had not changed very much over the intervening years.
The Second World War left its own marks in the form of shrapnel damage to the white tiled east facade. The building was empty for several years after the end of the War. Gannet Films, makers of the 1970's classic film "Futtock's End" occupied the basement for several years - for some time concurrently with the solicitors' practice which occupied the building until the refurbishment works commenced in June 2007.
Please click on the following links to see a selection of views of Bream's Buildings
http://collage.cityoflondon.gov.uk
http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk
These include the predecessors to both No. 27's current TwinTile incarnation and Field House, home of the Immigration Appeals Tribunal (featured in photograph 3 in "Under Construction").
To underline the firm's choice of Bream's Buildings as central in London's legal world, our new near neighbour will be the world's biggest business court, situated at Rolls House, which - despite its address of 110 Fetter Lane - is on the south side of Bream's Buildings. The building itself is complete; following fit-out (estimated for Spring 2011), it will incorporate the Chancery Division, the Commercial Court and Technology and Construction Courts.
We feel very close to the Business Court project in more ways than one, as we happily share occupation of 11-13 with our tenant, its developers, who use it as the site offices for Carillion, the contractors for the development and fit-out