Statute Law Repeals - Law Commission - Ministry of Justice

Charles Street, Westminster Act (1799)
6.63 The preamble to this 1799 Act 109 recorded that the approaches to the King’s
Theatre 110 in the Haymarket were “not sufficiently convenient for the Access of
the great Number of Carriages and Persons resorting thereto”. Access would be
improved and the theatre made more secure against fire “if a new Street were
made and opened from the Street called The Haymarket into Charles Street, St
James’s Square”. 111 Finally the preamble recorded that William Taylor (the
theatre manager) was willing to make such a street. Accordingly the Act
authorised William Taylor to extend Charles Street into the Haymarket and to
acquire land in neighbouring streets. However the Act also provided that his
powers to build the street were to pass to the Commissioners of HM Treasury if
they had not been exercised by 13 July 1801.
6.64 In the event the new street was built but not pursuant to the 1799 Act. William
Taylor failed to exercise his powers under the Act within the time limit and so the
powers passed to HM Treasury. The building work was instead carried out
pursuant to an Act of 1813 112 which was passed to improve communications
between Marylebone Park 113 and Charing Cross. Section 2 of the 1813 Act
provided that the Commissioners appointed under that Act should carry out their
works as if the powers in the 1799 Act had been repealed. The new street was
completed pursuant to the 1813 Act in 1818. The 1799 Act thereupon became
unnecessary and may now be formally repealed.
109 39 Geo.3 c.lxxiv.
110 The King’s Theatre is today called Her Majesty’s Theatre. It occupies the same site on the
corner of the Haymarket and Charles II Street.
111 Charles Street is today called Charles II Street. In 1799 Charles Street ran east from St
James’s Square across what is now Regent Street and ended near, but not connecting
with, the Haymarket.
112
53 Geo.3 c.121. This Act also provided for the construction of Regent Street under the
supervision of John Nash.
113
Part of the site of the old Marylebone Park is today occupied by Regents Park (designed
by John Nash in 1818).
187