History of John Stevens

Born at Stepney on November 5th 1805, John Stevens, was the third son of William and Elizabeth Stevens. We know little of his childhood except he was christened at St. Swithens, Stepney.

In 1830 he became a mason and from information given to us by them he would seem to be a "contractor". The East End of London, Whitechapel, Mile End and Bromley-by-Bow were all small communities in the countryside. St. Catherine's Dock one of the first of the London Docks was completed in 1828. So it seems likely that he was involved in building property in that area. He married and lived in Lime House an up market area at the time. He left the masons in 1836 no reason was given.

In 1841 we find that he is listed as a "Nightman" collecting the night soil from the closets. In the same year that J.B. Lawes the chemical fertiliser pioneer started to manufacture Super Phosphate from bones and sulphuric acid. In 1843 he is listed as a "Scavenger" it seems likely that he cleansed the streets of horse manure and the like.

By 1847 like Lawes he commenced the manufacture of Super Phosphate on the Lime House canal on a site close to the Bow Common Road.

We find that even today the Cockney's in the area call the Bow Common Road Bridge over the canal "stink house bridge". It probably got its name because of our soap, potash, alum & lime factories nearby. Local residents remember a spice and black pepper factory nearby which closed in the 1970's which probably smelt a bit nicer.

In his lifetime John Stevens founded a business in both property development and inorganic and organic fertilisers.

With his son William Carr Stevens he bought a chemical factory at Queenborough in 1882 but prior to this in 1879 having taken full advantage of the then newly built rail link between London and Brighton, he started to purchase large areas of farmland in Surrey, pioneering the idea of turning Salfords and Horley into the dormitory towns they are today.

John Stevens Family Tree