Place Name
Named after the Tudor dynasty and particularly Henry VIII who had Bridewell Palace built near here on the north bank of the River Thames. The area had previously been the domain of a Carmelite order of monks known as the Whitefriars. Following the dissolution of the monasteries in 1540, when the monastic order was disbanded, the area became a fashionable place in which to live. Later the palace was made over to the City and used as a poorhouse and prison.