The Ironmongers' Stone In Leather Gardens To The East Of Abbey Road

251/0/10077 ABBEY ROAD 02-MAR-07 The Ironmongers' Stone in Leather Gard ens to the East of Abbey Road

II Boundary stone C18. White stone resembling Portland stone.

DESCRIPTION: The stone is approximately 350mm square and 920mm high with a shallow pyramidal top. The Worshipful Company of Ironmongers' coat of arms is inscribed to the top of one side, and weathered inscription on the opposing side reads 'Th..m.... the extent of the Ironmongers Company Ground'.

HISTORY: The ground on which the stone stands was once called Barrowfield, an ancient plot associated with Stratford Langthorne Abbey (which lies to the west). In 1720 the land was purchased by Sir Gregory Page, Baronet of Greenwich and five years later he donated the southern end for the construction of a parish workhouse and market garden where the poor could work. The Worshipful Company of Ironmongers bought the land in c.1730, from part of the money left by one of its members, Thomas Betton, a wealthy merchant venturer. It is assumed that the stone, which bears the company's coat of arms, was erected to mark the extent of the site at about that time. The stone is within the original site, but may not be in its exact location.

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: The special interest of the Ironmongers' stone relates to its survival within an area of land since the C18, which was subsequently leased to industrial companies that had a role in the development of London. Boundary stones are essentially ephemeral additions to a landscape, and in this case the stone still denotes the historical ownership of land which lasted over 200 years through its elaborate carving and inscription of the company's arms. For these reasons the Ironmongers' stone should be recognised for its distinctive form and composition, together with its historical connections and longevity of survival within the original site.