How was the Palace Green Area Developed in the Late 18th and 19th Centuries?
A number of maps of Berwick exist and these, with other reliable sources of information, have proved useful in dating and confirming the various stages of development of the Pavilion.
How Did the Area Look Before the Pavilion was Built?
The following maps show an open, undeveloped area opposite the Governor’s House.
1791 Map 1799 Map 1822 Wood's Map
To view a drawing of the area in 1810, click Palace Green 1810.
Various early buildings existed on the land to the west of the Pavilion site, the area now occupied by St Aidan’s House and the houses and gardens of Wellington Terrace. These early buildings included the “Kings bake house and ovens” in 1791, shown just as “ovens” in 1799. Interestingly, a bowling green had previously existed in this area. By 1810 the “ovens” had been replaced by “new stables” but these in turn has disappeared by 1822, by which time the first part of Wellington Terrace had been built. The Main Guard also appears in the area on the 1822 map, having been moved from Marygate in 1815.
A small hexagonal building is shown in 1791 opposite the end of the Governor’s House. Described as “Formerly a reservoir for water for supplying the town but now used as a store house by the Master Gunner”. This is not shown in 1799 but appears as a “round tower” in 1810 and as a “Powder magazine” in 1822. These may of course be different buildings.
These early maps all show buildings to the north and west sides of the open area and there is other evidence of development in the Palace Green in the early part of the 19th century. For example:-
The Berwick Advertiser of 3 May 1817 carried an advert for “a 99-year lease of an unenclosed piece of ground for building upon, situated in the Palace Green and belonging to the heirs of Mr Richard Reavely”.
In 1822, the Mayor, Bailiffs and Burgesses granted a 21 year lease for an enclosed piece of land in Palace Green, for an annual rent of £5 - 5s, to Clement Pattison who wished to build a “Stable Coach House and other conveniences”. This was possibly on land shown as Corporation Property on the 1822 map and which is now the site of St Aidan’s House. The 1822 document also refers to “newly erected houses in Palace Green”.