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CheapsideWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Cheapside

Coordinates:51.5141N0.0937W

FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

CheapsideisastreetintheCityof
London,thehistoricandmodern
financialcentreofLondon,which
formspartoftheA40Londonto
Fishguardroad.ItlinksSt.Martin's
LeGrandwithPoultry.Nearits
easternendatBankjunction,where
itbecomesPoultry,isMansion
House,theBankofEngland,and
Bankstation.TothewestisSt.
Paul'sCathedral,St.Paul'stube
stationandPaternosterSquare.
IntheMiddleAges,itwasknownas
Westcheap,asopposedtoEastcheap,
Cheapsidein1909(left)andin2005(right).Thechurchinthe
anotherstreetintheCity,near
backgroundisStMaryleBow.
LondonBridge.Theboundariesof
thewardsofCheap,Cordwainerand
BreadStreetrunalongCheapsideandPoultrypriortoboundarychangesin2003theroadwasdivided
amongstFarringdonWithinandCripplegatewardsinadditiontothecurrentthree.
ThecontemporaryCheapsideiswidelyknownasthelocationofarangeofretailandfoodoutletsand
offices,aswellastheCity'sonlymajorshoppingcentre,OneNewChange.

Contents
1 Etymologyandusage
2 History
3 Literaryconnections
4 ContemporaryCheapside
5 References
6 Externallinks

Etymologyandusage
CheapsideisacommonEnglishstreetname,meaning"marketplace",fromOldEnglishceapan,'tobuy'
(cf."shop",Germankaufen,Dutchkopen,Swedishkpa,pronounced[sheupah]),whencealsochapman
andchapbook.[1]Therewasoriginallynoconnectiontothemodernmeaningofcheap('lowprice',a
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shorteningofgoodceap,'goodbuy'),thoughbythe18thcenturythisassociationmayhavebeguntobe
inferred.
OthercitiesandtownsinEnglandthathaveaCheapsideincludeAscot,Barnsley,Birmingham,
Bradford,Brighton,Bristol,Derby,Halifax,Knaresborough,Lancaster,Leicester,Liverpool,Luton,
Manchester,Nottingham,PrestonandReading.ThereisalsoaCheapsideinBridgetown,Barbados
Lexington,Kentucky,USGreenfield,Massachusetts,USSaintHelier,JerseyandLondon,Ontario,
Canada.

History
Cheapsideistheformersiteofoneoftheprincipalproduce
marketsinLondon,cheapbroadlymeaning"market"in
medievalEnglish.Manyofthestreetsfeedingintothemain
thoroughfarearenamedaftertheproducethatwasoncesold
inthoseareasofthemarket,includingHoneyLane,Milk
Street,BreadStreetandPoultry.
Inmedievaltimes,theroyalprocessionalroutefromthe
TowerofLondontothePalaceofWestminsterwould
includeCheapside.Duringstateoccasionssuchasthefirst
entryofMargaretofFrance(secondwifeofKingEdwardI),
intoLondoninSeptember1299,theconduitsofCheapside
customarilyflowedwithwine.[2]
DuringthereignofEdwardIIIinthe14thcentury,
tournamentswereheldinadjacentfields.Thedangerswere,
however,notlimitedtotheparticipants:awoodenstand
builttoaccommodateQueenPhilippaandhercompanions
collapsedduringatournamenttocelebratethebirthofthe
BlackPrincein1330.Noonedied,buttheKingwasgreatly
displeased,andthestand'sbuilderswouldhavebeenputto
deathbutfortheQueen'sintercession.

Cheapsidein1823,lookingwesttowards
StPaul'sCathedral

Onthedayprecedinghercoronation,inJanuary1559,
ElizabethIpassedthroughanumberofLondonstreetsina
precoronationprocessionandwasentertainedbyanumber
ofpageants,includingoneinCheapside.
MeatwasbroughtintoCheapsidefromSmithfieldmarket,
justoutsideNewgate.AfterthegreatChurchofSt.Michael
leQuerne,thetopendofthestreetbroadenedintoadual
carriagewayknownastheShambles(referringtoanopen
airslaughterhouseandmeatmarket),withbutchershopson
bothsidesandadividingcentralareaalsocontaining
AviewofCheapsidepublishedin1837
butchers.Furtherdown,ontheright,wasGoldsmithsRow,
anareaofcommoditydealers.Fromthe14thcenturytothe
GreatFire,theeasternendofCheapsidewasthelocationoftheGreatConduit.

Literaryconnections
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CheapsidewasthebirthplaceofJohnMilton,andRobert
Herrick.Itwasforalongtimeoneofthemostimportant
streetsinLondon.Itisalsothesiteofthe'BowBells',the
churchofSt.MaryleBow,whichhasplayedapartin
London'sCockneyheritageandthetaleofDick
Whittington.GeoffreyChaucergrewuparoundCheapside
andthereareascatteringofreferencestothethoroughfare
anditsenvironsthroughouthiswork.Thefirstchapterof
PeterAckroyd'sBriefLivesseriesonChauceralso
colourfullydescribesthestreetatthattime.[3]Thomas
Middleton'splayAChasteMaidinCheapside(1613)both
satirisesandcelebratesthecitizensoftheneighbourhood
duringtheRenaissance,whenthestreethostedthecity's
goldsmiths.
WilliamWordsworth,inhis1797poemTheReverieofPoor
Susan,imaginesanaturalisticCheapsideofpast:
Andariverflowsonthroughthevaleof
Cheapside.

PhotochromofCheapside,c.18901900

JaneAusten,inher1813novelPrideandPrejudice,characterisesCheapsideasaLondon
neighbourhoodfrowneduponbythelandedelite:[4]
"IthinkIhaveheardyousaythattheiruncleisanattorneyinMeryton"
"Yesandtheyhaveanother,wholivessomewherenearCheapside."
"Thatiscapital,"addedhersister,andtheybothlaughedheartily.
"IftheyhadunclesenoughtofillallCheapside,"criedBingley,"itwouldnotmakethem
onejotlessagreeable."
"Butitmustverymateriallylessentheirchanceofmarryingmenofanyconsiderationinthe
world,"repliedDarcy.
CharlesDickens,Jr.wroteinhis1879bookDickens'sDictionaryofLondon:
"Cheapsideremainsnowwhatitwasfivecenturiesago,thegreatestthoroughfareinthe
CityofLondon.Otherlocalitieshavehadtheirday,haverisen,becomefashionable,and
havesunkintoobscurityandneglect,butCheapsidehasmaintaineditsplace,andmay
boastofbeingthebusiestthoroughfareintheworld,withthesoleexceptionperhapsof
Londonbridge."[5]
HughLofting'sbookDoctorDolittle,publishedin1951,namesaquarrelsomeLondonsparrowwitha
CockneyaccentCheapside.HelivesmostoftheyearinSt.Edmund'sleftearinSt.Paul'sCathedraland
isinvitedtotheAfricancountryofFantippotodelivermailtocitiesbecausetheotherbirdsarenotable
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tonavigatecitystreets.
CheapsideisalsodepictedinRosemarySutcliff's1951
children'shistoricalnovelTheArmourer'sHouse,alongwith
otherpartsofTudorLondon.
Inamorecontemporarytreatment,theCheapsideofthe
MiddleAgeswasreferencedinaderogatorysenseinthe
2001movieAKnight'sTaleasbeingthepoor,unhealthy
andlowclassbirthplaceandhomeoftheunlikelyhero.
19thcenturyCheapsideispresentedasthehomeofMary
"Jacky"FaberinBloodyJackbyL.A.Meyer.
WilliamShakespeareusedCheapsideasthesettingfor
severalbawdyscenesinHenryIV,PartI.Areferencetoitis
alsomadein"HenryVI,PartII",inaspeechbythefelon
JackCade:"....alltherealmshallbeincommonandin
Cheapsideshallmypalfreygotograss".

Cheapsidein1979.

Additionally,CheapsideisdepictedasamajorsettinginthebestsellingnovelbyMariaMcCann,As
MeatLovesSalt,ahistoricalfeaturesetagainsttheEnglishCivilWar.[6]

ContemporaryCheapside
Cheapsidetodayisastreetofofficesanddevelopmentsof
retailoutlets.Itcannolongerbedescribedas"thebusiest
thoroughfareintheworld"(asinCharlesDickens,Jr.'sday)
andisinsteadsimplyoneofmanyroutesconnectingthe
EastEndandtheCityofLondonwiththeWestEnd.
CheapsidewasextensivelydamagedduringTheBlitzinlate
1940andparticularlyduringtheSecondGreatFireof
London.Muchoftherebuildingfollowingtheseraids
occurredduringthe1950sand1960sandincludedanumber
ofunsympatheticcontemporaryattemptsatrecreatingthe
Cheapsidein2012.
centuriesoldarchitecturethathadbeendestroyed.Inrecent
yearsmanyofthesebuildingshavethemselvesbeen
demolishedasaprogrammeofregenerationtakesplacealongCheapsidefromPaternosterSquareto
Poultry.
ThedraftCoreStrategyoftheCity'sLocalDevelopmentFrameworksoutlinesthevisionandpoliciesfor
theCheapsidearea,aimingtoincreasetheamountofretailspacealongandnearthestreet,andmakethe
areaagoodenvironmentforvisitorsandshoppers.TheplanistoreestablishthestreetastheCity's
"HighStreet",includingasaweekendshoppingdestination(untilrecentlymanyretailunitsintheCity
wereclosedonSaturdayandSunday).[7][8]Amajorretailandofficedevelopmentattheheartofthe
scheme,OneNewChange,opened28October2010.[9]ItissitedonCheapsideattheintersectionwith
NewChange,immediatelytotheeastofSt.Paul'sCathedral.[10][11]

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Toaddresstheanticipatedriseinthenumberofshoppersasaresultoftheregeneration,thestreetitself
hasundergonereconstructionworkstomaketheareamoresympathetictopedestriantraffictheworks
areexpectedtomakeCheapsidethemainshoppingareaintheCityofLondon.
Cheapsideformedpartofthemarathoncourseofthe2012OlympicandParalympicGames.The
women'sOlympicmarathontookplaceon5Augustandthemen'sOlympicmarathontookplaceon12
August.ThefourParalympicmarathonswereheldon9September.[12]

References
Sourcesconsulted
AGlossaryandEtymologicalDictionary:OfObsoleteandUncommonWordsWilliamToone
(Bennett:London,1834)
KingsandQueensofBritain,Williamson,D.(1986),SalemHouse,ISBN0881622133.
Endnotes
1.AGlossaryandEtymologicalDictionary:OfObsoleteandUncommonWordsWilliamToone(Bennett:
London,1834)
2.Williamson,D.(1986),KingsandQueensofBritain,p.75,SalemHouse,ISBN0881622133.
3.Ackroyd,Peter(2005).Chaucer(biography),chapter1
(http://www.randomhouse.com/nanatalese/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385507974&view=excerpt)at
RandomHouse.com
4.Austen,Jane(1813).PrideandPrejudice,chapter8(http://www.pemberley.com/etext/PandP/chapter8.htm)at
Pemberley.com
5.Dickens,Charles,Jr.(1879)."Cheapside".Dickens'sDictionaryofLondon.Retrieved20070822.
6.McCann,Maria(2001).AsMeatLovesSalt.UnitedKingdom/Florida:Flamingo/Harcourt.p.565.ISBN978
0156012263.
7.CityofLondonCorporation(http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/114DE61FE5C04ABE982E
7CF262D6A907/0/CoreStrategyAppendicesPDF.pdf)draftCoreStrategy,accessedJuly2010
8.CityofLondonCorporation
(http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/LGNL_Services/Environment_and_planning/Urban_design/Stre
et_scene_challenge/Projects_in_the_pipeline/Cheapside+Area.htm)Cheapsideareaimprovements
9.Thomas,Daniel(27October2010)."RetailcentregamblesonSquareMile".FinancialTimes.Retrieved
29October2010.
10.OneNewChange(http://www.onenewchange.com/)
11.InCheapside(http://www.incheapside.com/default.aspx?CATID=360)OneNewChange
12.2012LondonOlympicsMen'sMarathon:coursemap(http://www.london2012.com/athletics/event/men
marathon/coursemap/)andWomen'sMarathon:coursemap
(http://www.london2012.com/athletics/event/womenmarathon/coursemap/)

Externallinks
View,lookingeastwards,ofCheapsideinearlyStuart
WikimediaCommonshas
times,showingtheCheapsideCrossandtheStandard
mediarelatedtoCheapside.
(http://www.shakespeares
sonnets.com/Archive/cheapsd.htm)
TheCheapsideInitiativeofficialwebsite(http://www.incheapside.com)
Retrievedfrom"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cheapside&oldid=710541302"
Categories: StreetsintheCityofLondon HistoryoftheCityofLondon
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