The Maypole in the Strand was a landmark

maypole A maypole is a tall wooden pole erected as a part of various European List of folk festivals, folk festivals, around which a maypole dance often takes place. The festivals may occur on May Day, 1 May or Pentecost (Whitsun), although in some co ...

on the Strand,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, that was in place during the 17th and early 18th centuries, on the site of the current

St Mary le Strand St Mary le Strand is a Church of England church at the eastern end of the Strand, London, Strand in the City of Westminster, London. It lies within the Deanery of Westminster (St Margaret) within the Diocese of London. The church stands on what ...

church.

History

The first maypole was built in the early 16th century outside the church of

, and is believed to have been around high. As was common at the time, it was a regular custom to cover the maypole with flowers each May and dance around it.Walter Thornbury, 'St Mary-le-Strand and the Maypole', in Old and New London: Volume 3 (London, 1878), pp. 84-88. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/old-new-london/vol3/pp84-88 ccessed 27 August 2020 It was destroyed in April 1644 by the

Puritans The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

during the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

, after the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

and

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

banned maypoles, believing them to represent pagan ceremonies that were considered "ungodly". It was replaced by a high structure on 14 April 1661 following

the Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state. This may refer to: *Conservation and restoration of cultural property **Audio restoration **Conservation and restoration of immovable cultural property **Film restoration ** Image ...

, and is believed to have been constructed by the local

farrier A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves, if necessary. A farrier combines some blacksmith's skills (fabricating, adapting, and adju ...

John Clarges whose daughter had married

George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle (6 December 1608 3 January 1670) was an English military officer and politician who fought on both sides during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A prominent military figure under the Commonwealth, his support ...

when he was a military general. The new maypole was the most celebrated of its kind in London throughout the late 17th century. It was damaged by wind a few years later, and subsequently restored. The maypole gradually decayed and was replaced in 1713; the current church was built in its location. In 1717,

Sir Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton () was an English polymath active as a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author. Newton was a key figure in the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment that followed. His book (''Mathe ...

bought the maypole and transported it to Sir Richard Child's

Wanstead House Wanstead House was a mansion built to replace the earlier Wanstead Hall. It was commissioned in 1715, completed in 1722 and demolished in 1825. Its gardens now form the municipal Wanstead Park in the London Borough of Redbridge. History Construc ...

, now Wanstead Park. It was used to support Newton's

telescope A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, Absorption (electromagnetic radiation), absorption, or Reflection (physics), reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally, it was an optical instrument using len ...

, which at that time was the largest in the world. Maypole Alley ran north from the maypole's location on the Strand. It was renamed Newcastle Street in the early 18th century after

John Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle John Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle (9 January 1662 – 15 July 1711) was an English peer and politician. Early life Holles was born in Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire, the son of the 3rd Earl of Clare and his wife Grace Pierrepont. Grace was a ...

, and subsequently demolished during construction of

Aldwych Aldwych (pronounced ) is a street and the name of the List of areas of London, area immediately surrounding it, in the City of Westminster, part of Greater London, and is part of the West End of London, West End West End Theatre, Theatreland. T ...

in 1905. A temporary maypole artwork was installed on the site in 2017, as part of the

London Festival of Architecture The London Festival of Architecture is a festival specialized in architecture. It takes place annually in London, England, usually through the month of June. It features an extensive range of activities that mainly focus on design and architectu ...

References

Citations Sources * * * {{coords, 51.5121, -0.1171, display=title History of the City of Westminster Former buildings and structures in the City of Westminster Isaac Newton