The street originated as an early medieval lane referred to in Latin as the
Via de Aldwych, which probably connected St. Giles Leper Hospital with the fields of Aldwych Close, owned by the hospital but traditionally said to have been granted to the Danes as part of a peace treaty with King
Alfred the Great in Saxon times. It acquired its name from the
Suffolk barrister Sir
Robert Drury, who built a mansion called
Drury House on the lane around 1500. After the death in 1615 of his great-great-grandson, another Robert Drury, the property passed out of the family. It became the London house of the
Earl of Craven, then a
public house under the sign of his reputed mistress, the
Queen of Bohemia. Subsequently, the gardens and courtyards of the house were built over with rows of small houses. The remains of the house itself, which had been progressively demolished, were finally cleared in 1809. By this time, Drury Lane had become one of the worst slums in London, dominated by prostitution and
gin palaces. The area was eventually cleared to make way for the developments of
Kingsway and
Aldwych.
The Muffin Man resided on Drury Lane, according to the famous
nursery rhyme. The term "Drury Lane" is often used to refer to the
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, which has in different incarnations been located in the street since the 17th century, even though today the main entrance is on Catherine Street. Also in Drury Lane is the
Gillian Lynne Theatre. 173 Drury Lane was the location of the first
J Sainsbury store. The store was opened in 1869 and the company is now one of the UK's largest
supermarket chains. ==See also==