# Catherine Street

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{{Short description|Street in Westminster, London, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
thumb|The Duchess Theatre in Catherine Street
'''Catherine Street''', originally known as '''Brydges Street''', is a street in the [City of Westminster](/source/City_of_Westminster), London. It runs from Russell Street in the north to [Aldwych](/source/Aldwych) in the south. It is crossed midway by [Tavistock Street](/source/Tavistock_Street) and joined on the western side near Aldwych by the eastern end of Exeter Street.

==History==
The street was first laid out by [Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford](/source/Francis_Russell%2C_4th_Earl_of_Bedford), in the 1630s at which time it was closed at its southern end near the junction with Exeter Street. Its southern end was the wall of [Exeter House](/source/Cecil_House) garden and the back of the White Hart Inn in the Strand.<ref name=british>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol36/pp199-204|title=Bow Street and Russell Street Area: Catherine Street|website=British History Online|accessdate=2018-01-17}}</ref> The south part was named Catherine Street after Queen [Catherine of Braganza](/source/Catherine_of_Braganza), wife of King [Charles II](/source/Charles_II_of_England).<ref>{{cite book|author1=Weinreb, Ben |author2=[Hibbert, Christopher](/source/Christopher_Hibbert) |title=[The London Encyclopaedia](/source/The_London_Encyclopaedia) |edition=reprint |year=1992 |publisher=[Macmillan](/source/Macmillan_Publishers) |page=130}}</ref>

Until 1872 the north part was called Brydges Street after the fourth earl's wife.<ref name=british/> In that year the whole street was named Catherine Street.

==Buildings==
The street is part of the theatre district of London's [West End](/source/West_End_of_London) and includes the [Theatre Royal Drury Lane](/source/Theatre_Royal_Drury_Lane) on the corner with Russell Street, the [Duchess Theatre](/source/Duchess_Theatre) on the west side and the [Novello Theatre](/source/Novello_Theatre) on the corner with Aldwych. All three theatres are [listed buildings](/source/listed_buildings) with [Historic England](/source/Historic_England), as are number 42 Tavistock Street on the corner with Catherine Street<ref name=NHL>{{National Heritage List for England|num=1276087|desc=40 & 42, Tavistock Street WC2|access-date=18 January 2018}}</ref> and number 15 Catherine Street.<ref name=NHL2>{{National Heritage List for England|num=1209861|desc=15, Catherine Street WC2|access-date=18 January 2018}}</ref>

The [public houses](/source/Public_House) in the street are Nell of Old Drury and the Opera Tavern, and there are a number of restaurants and bars. The Opera Tavern was built (with No 21) in 1879 to a design by the architect [George Treacher](/source/George_Treacher).<ref name=british/>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category-inline|Catherine Street}}

{{Coord|51|30|44.54|N|0|7|11.49|W|scale:1563_region:GB|display=title}}

Category:1630s establishments in England
Category:Transport infrastructure completed in the 1630s
Category:Streets in the City of Westminster
Category:Catherine of Braganza

{{London-geo-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Catherine Street](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Street) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Street?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.