Sir Thomas Neale, the personal casino manager to British kings

You don’t have to look very hard to find glimpses of history in London as famous landmarks like the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, and the Monument are dotted all around the city.

But sometimes, Britain’s capital makes more subtle references to historic events and people by naming streets after them. You’ll find examples of this everywhere, such as Baylis Road, which was named to honour a former manager of the Old Vic Theatre, and Bob Marley Way a street that takes its name from the legendary reggae musician.

Multi-talented

Neal Street is another example which was renamed from King Street in 1870 to honour Sir Thomas Neale. A man who wore many hats over the course of his life, as an MP, the head of the Royal Mint, and an entrepreneur, Neale was clearly multi-talented. Though this recognition was primarily earned through his loyalty to Kings Charles II, James II, and William III.

Card Games

Neale worked as the Groom of the Bedchamber for all three monarchs. Although this job came with many roles, it is widely believed his main responsibility was to organise card games for the kings, supervise all games taking place in royal residences, and even create the dice and cards they would play with. Charles II also put Neale in charge of clamping down on any illegal establishments in London, ensuring only games sanctioned by the crown were permitted.

Given that today, such roles are performed by entire government bodies, it seems appropriate that Sir Thomas Neale was immortalised with this honour.