Formerly known as St Patrick's Well Lane after a 12th-century well, it was renamed in the 18th century, after the accession to the throne of King William III, a member of the House of Orange-Nassau.

[1] To emphasise the point, one of the houses erected a marble bust of William with the couplet:May we never want a Williamite to kick the breech of a Jacobite!

Folklore connects the well with Saint Patrick, who (legend states) struck the ground with his staff and brought forth water bubbling to the surface.

A collection of 15 Georgian and Victorian buildings were demolished, including the original Elverys Sports corner store[6] and the 1870 McCurdy's Law Club.

[10] Nassau Street is famous for being the location in which Irish writer James Joyce met his lifelong love, Nora Barnacle, on 10 June 1904.