30 THE APOTHECARIES' GARDEN 



From Faulkner's map of Chelsea in 1717, and 

 Kip's bird's-eye view of Beaufort House (once 

 More's), 1699, it is evident that the whole 

 parallelogram made by Church Street and 

 Beaufort Street on east and west, and Fulham 

 Road and the river on north and south, was 

 Sir Thomas More's property. Mr. Randall 

 Davies, who has done much original research 

 in Chelsea records, in his book, Chelsea Old 

 Church, goes so far as to say that the greater 

 part of Chelsea to the west of Church Street 

 belonged to Sir Thomas More. 



In the north-east corner of this ground was 

 the " Queen's Elm." Faulkner gives the origin 

 of that name. Tradition has it that Queen 

 Elizabeth, when walking with Lord Burleigh, 

 took shelter there under an elm during a 

 storm. A seat was afterwards put round the 

 tree, which was called the " Queen's Elm." 

 Additional evidence, if any were wanted, that 

 the land had once been More's ; for Burleigh 

 was for two years the owner of More's estate, and 

 would no doubt have been showing the Queen 

 his own land. 



Later on in 1625 this northern part was 

 walled in, and became " The Park " or 

 " Chelsea Park " and so it continued until a 

 few years ago. 



It was a pity that Chelsea Park was not kept 

 as an open space part of a green band which 

 might at that time have been made round 

 London. A few years ago, through its old 

 iron gates, which opened into the Fulham 

 Road opposite, and a little way beyond, the 

 Consumption Hospital, could be seen a park 



