Place Name
Named after the earls of Essex, the Devereux family who owned a palatial townhouse here on the banks of the River Thames. The land was acquired from the family some time around 1674 by a speculative builder called Nicholas Barbon. Six years later, after learning that Charles II was eyeing up the property for a faithful servant, Barbon hastily developed a number of streets named after the former owners: Essex Street, Little Essex Street and Devereux Court.
