Monopoly Fifteen: Vine Street

 

Unlike Bow Street and (Great) Marlborough Street, Vine Street wasn’t home to a magistrates court. However it was at one time home to one of the busiest police stations not just in London, but the whole world.

Vine Street itself was named after a pub, the Vine. Its possible that the pub may have drawn its name from a roman vineyard nearby, but this is a matter of speculation. The street was laid out in the 1680s. It was originally longer than it is now, but when Regent Street was built it bisected Vine Street and led to one end of Vine Street becoming a dead end.

Vine Street Police station was built at number 10, and had to be rebuilt after a fire in the 18^th century. Vine Street nick, as it was colloquially known, closed in 1940 and services removed to West London Police station in Savile Row. Due to a rise in crime the station was reopened in 1966, then closed for good in 1997 and demolished in 2005. Incidentally Vine Street is one of the London Monopoly streets without licensed premises, so I’m informed that the etiquette for a London Monopoly board pub crawl is to take a drink in one of the hostelries on nearby Swallow Street.