There are only three survivors from Old West Street Nos. 118, 120, 122 on the north side nearly opposite St Matthew’s Field
Notes on number 120
CAST LEAD HOPPER
An ogee gutter at the rear of No 120 discharges into a cast lead hopper head at the boundary between No. 120 and No. 118.
Close up detail of the hopper head shows that it bears three designs in relief. That top left seems to be a winged gryphon with a long looped tail, and lower left may be a mermaid.
D\B\bw/CL34 in the SRO is a bundle of six documents relating to transactions of a messuage or tenement on the north side of West Street containing by estimation one and one half burgage, folio 267 in the Corporation Survey Book.
That dated 16 July 1682 is signed and sealed by Ferdinando Anderdon. The seal, impressed in red wax, shows a head and a wing. A further lease dated 30 July 1697 counterpart bears the same signature and a well preserved seal.
Ferdinando Anderdon is described as goldsmith in SRO A\ANJ/1 . We may presume he understood working in lead also!
The impression in the wax seal is very similar to that on the hopper head.
The remaining documents in D\B\bw/CL34 show that the same property passed to Ferdinando Anderdon’s son Dr John Anderdon (Counterpart Lease of 1 February 1727; different seal with armorial device; Dr John Alderdon released a house at the Castle SRO DD\X\RIC/1 and DD\X\WBB/266/1), then to his son Charles Anderdon (Counterpart Lease 27 February 1758) and finally to Charles Proctor Anderdon in a printed lease from the Mayor Aldermen & Burgesses of 4th March 1812 (flattened seal).
A separate bundle of deeds (solicitor’s collection) SRO DD\CH/104/4 (West Street Corporation Survey Book folio 269) makes reference to an adjacent messuage etc “formerly belonging to the Representatives of Charles Proctor Anderdon now in possession of Mr Thomas Danger” (26 September 1827) and “lately purchased by Mr Thomas Plowman ” (3 September 1866).
Anderdon is buried in St Mary’s Church.
Dr Peter Cattermole. 10 September 2007.