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WRITERSâ€™ LONDON

GEORGE ORWELL / WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE / OSCAR WILDE CHARLES DICKENS / AGATHA CHRISTIE / COLIN MACINNES J.K. ROWLING / JOE ORTON LORD BYRON / ZADIE SMITH SYLVIA PLATH / JOHN KEATS WILLIAM BLAKE / ELIZABETH BOWEN / SAMUEL JOHNSON KENNETH GRAHAME / WILL SELF / MARTIN AMIS / DYLAN THOMAS / HANIF KUREISHI VIRGINIA WOOLF / WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY

A GUIDE TO LITERARY PEOPLE AND PLACES

Carrie Kania & Alan Oliver

I N T RO D U C T I O N

To step out into the streets of London is to walk in

Carré once browsed the shelves. Restaurants

much enjoyment as it did us, the authors. If your

A NOTE ON STRUCTURE

the footsteps of Charles Dickens, Virginia Woolf,

enjoyed by T.S. Eliot and Oscar Wilde are still in

interest is piqued, we encourage you to read

Writers’ London is organised by loosely defined

John Dryden and Lord Bryon. Since the time of

business, and the houses where Jane Austen,

further into the lives of writers in London; Peter

districts. Within them, we have chosen a selection

Chaucer, writers as diverse as Herman Melville

Agatha Christie and D.H. Lawrence once lived

Ackroyd and Claire Tomalin, especially, have

of key addresses that will help you to navigate

and Barbara Cartland have worked, played and

and worked still stand, as do the homes where

written several excellent biographies of notable

the lives of the city’s great writers. For the sake

loved in London. Many of the greatest books ever

Joe Orton and Doris Lessing died. The settings

writers who spent a considerable amount of

of format, some neighbourhood boundaries are

written can trace their origins to this wondrous city.

and scenes for novels such as The End of the

their lives based in the city. Most of all, we urge

approximate.

Affair and Brick Lane, and the ubiquitous Harry

locals and visitors alike to head out in search of

Surprisingly, the physical markers of this rich

Potter series, can all be found in the streets

London’s literary story, much of which has been

literary heritage are often easily found today.

of London and its many neighbourhoods.

commemorated with blue plaques and other

You can still drink at a pub frequented by

The guide that follows is far from exhaustive,

memorials. Who knows, the person sitting next

Dylan Thomas and George Orwell, or walk into

nor is it meant to be. We only hope that its

to you at Bar Italia might just be writing the next

the bookshop where Ian Fleming and John le

subject matter will give you, the reader, as

award-winning novel.

I N T RO D U C T I O N

To step out into the streets of London is to walk in

Carré once browsed the shelves. Restaurants

much enjoyment as it did us, the authors. If your

A NOTE ON STRUCTURE

the footsteps of Charles Dickens, Virginia Woolf,

enjoyed by T.S. Eliot and Oscar Wilde are still in

interest is piqued, we encourage you to read

Writers’ London is organised by loosely defined

John Dryden and Lord Bryon. Since the time of

business, and the houses where Jane Austen,

further into the lives of writers in London; Peter

districts. Within them, we have chosen a selection

Chaucer, writers as diverse as Herman Melville

Agatha Christie and D.H. Lawrence once lived

Ackroyd and Claire Tomalin, especially, have

of key addresses that will help you to navigate

and Barbara Cartland have worked, played and

and worked still stand, as do the homes where

written several excellent biographies of notable

the lives of the city’s great writers. For the sake

loved in London. Many of the greatest books ever

Joe Orton and Doris Lessing died. The settings

writers who spent a considerable amount of

of format, some neighbourhood boundaries are

written can trace their origins to this wondrous city.

and scenes for novels such as The End of the

their lives based in the city. Most of all, we urge

approximate.

Affair and Brick Lane, and the ubiquitous Harry

locals and visitors alike to head out in search of

Surprisingly, the physical markers of this rich

Potter series, can all be found in the streets

London’s literary story, much of which has been

literary heritage are often easily found today.

of London and its many neighbourhoods.

commemorated with blue plaques and other

You can still drink at a pub frequented by

The guide that follows is far from exhaustive,

memorials. Who knows, the person sitting next

Dylan Thomas and George Orwell, or walk into

nor is it meant to be. We only hope that its

to you at Bar Italia might just be writing the next

the bookshop where Ian Fleming and John le

subject matter will give you, the reader, as

award-winning novel.

CENTRAL BLOOMSBURY / HOLBORN and CLERKENWELL / FLEET STREET and TEMPLE / COVENT GARDEN, STRAND and CHARING CROSS / ST JAMES’S and WESTMINSTER / MAYFAIR / MARYLEBONE / FITZROVIA / SOHO, CHINATOWN and LEICESTER SQUARE

S U G G E S T E D RE AD ING Adrift in Soho, Colin Wilson At Freddie’s, Penelope Fitzgerald Hawksmoor, Peter Ackroyd The Hand That First Held Mine, Maggie O’Farrell Mrs Dalloway, Virginia Woolf Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens 20,000 Streets Under the Sky, Patrick Hamilton Soho, Keith Waterhouse Vile Bodies, Evelyn Waugh 84, Charing Cross Road, Helene Hanff Fear and Loathing in Fitzrovia, Paul Willetts

Browsing the shelves of a Bloomsbury bookshop in the late 1920s. The Print Collector/Alamy

BLOOMSBURY As home to the British Museum and several major universities, and located only steps away from Fitzrovia, Soho and Covent Garden, it is no wonder that Bloomsbury has long been a neighbourhood loved by writers. The famed Bloomsbury Group, led by Virginia and Leonard Woolf, gathered frequently in private homes here to debate, discuss and dissect modern literature during the early part of the twentieth century. Imagined as a lush residential area in the nineteenth century, within walking distance of vibrant shops, theatres, restaurants and transportation hubs such as King’s Cross, Bloomsbury took full advantage of its numerous garden squares, lining these public and private patches of green with homes fit for celebrity authors such as Charles Dickens. Today, Bloomsbury is home to several noted publishers, a host of booksellers and, in all likelihood, gatherings of both well-known and would-be writers.

BRITISH MUSEUM

GAY’S THE WORD

Great Russell Street, WC1B

66 Marchmont Street, WC1N

Founded in 1753 and opened to the public six years

As the only lesbian and gay bookstore in London, Gay’s

later, the impressive British Museum has been a

The Word has continued to inspire and support writers

source of solace and inspiration for writers since the

from the LGBTQ+ community since opening in 1979.

gate first opened. Up until 1973 it was also the home

‘Gay’ books weren’t readily available in most traditional

of the British Library. Inside the central courtyard of the

bookshops at the time; thus, the store became a beacon of

museum, a circular, dome-covered building houses

support and a centre for Gay Rights Activism. As recently

the British Museum Reading Room. Opened in 1857,

as 1984, customs officials tried to seize books from the

and surrounded by one million books in curvature, The

shop, considering titles from Tennessee Williams, Gore

Reading Room was the preferred place for Karl Marx

Vidal and Christopher Isherwood to be obscene. Writers

and Lenin to write, and was often frequented by James

such as Damian Barr, Jake Arnott, Alan Hollinghurst and

Joyce, Rupert Brooke, Bram Stoker and Arthur Conan

Edmund White have all read at the shop, and the 2014 film

Doyle. Before 2000, visitors wanting to use the Reading

Pride features Gay’s the Word in several scenes.

Room had to apply in writing and were issued with a

Monday – Saturday 10am – 6.30pm / Sunday 12pm – 6pm

‘reader’s ticket’. Daily 10am – 5.30pm (Friday to 8.30pm)

SKOOB BOOKS 66 The Brunswick Centre, WC1N

N OTA B L E B OOKSH O PS AND MUSEUMS

THE WELLCOME COLLECTION BOOKSHOP

LONDON REVIEW BOOKSHOP

183 Euston Road, NW1

14 Bury Place, WC1A

Excellent selection of books relating to science and thought.

Opened in 2003 by the London Review of Books; includes

Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 6pm (Thursday till 9pm)

a lovely coffee shop and a strong selection of literary magazines. Their tote bags are particularly popular.

JARNDYCE ANTIQUARIAN BOOKSELLERS

‘A temple for proper secondhand books’, as described

46 Great Russell Street, WC1B

by Time Out.

Specialising in books published before the twentieth

Monday – Saturday 10.30am – 8pm / Sunday 10.30am

century. Famous for its window display of unusual titles.

– 6pm

Monday – Friday 11am – 5.30pm TREADWELL’S BOOKS AA BOOKSHOP

33 Store Street, WC1E

32 Bedford Square (door at No.33), WC1B

Secondhand bookshop specialising in the mystical.

Specialist in architecture books and magazines, including

Monday – Friday 11am – 7pm / Saturday and Sunday

titles from AA’s own publishing house.

12pm – 7pm

Monday – Saturday 10am – 6.30pm / Sunday 12pm – 6pm WATERSTONES

Monday – Saturday 10am – 6.30pm / Sunday 12pm – 6pm

82 Gower Street, Bloomsbury, WC1E

Secondhand bookshop specialising in private presses

BOOKMARKS

London; the large Gower Street branch includes two floors

and rare books on design and typography.

1 Bloomsbury Street, WC1B

Monday – Friday 11am – 6.30pm

Socialist bookshop and publisher.

COLLINGE & CLARK 13 Leigh Street, WC1H

Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 7pm / Monday 12pm – 7pm

There are several Waterstones bookshops around of academic titles ranging across numerous disciplines. Monday – Friday 8.30am – 9pm / Saturday 8.30am – 8pm / Sunday 12pm – 6pm

BRITISH MUSEUM

GAY’S THE WORD

Great Russell Street, WC1B

66 Marchmont Street, WC1N

Founded in 1753 and opened to the public six years

As the only lesbian and gay bookstore in London, Gay’s

later, the impressive British Museum has been a

The Word has continued to inspire and support writers

source of solace and inspiration for writers since the

from the LGBTQ+ community since opening in 1979.

gate first opened. Up until 1973 it was also the home

‘Gay’ books weren’t readily available in most traditional

of the British Library. Inside the central courtyard of the

bookshops at the time; thus, the store became a beacon of

museum, a circular, dome-covered building houses

support and a centre for Gay Rights Activism. As recently

the British Museum Reading Room. Opened in 1857,

as 1984, customs officials tried to seize books from the

and surrounded by one million books in curvature, The

shop, considering titles from Tennessee Williams, Gore

Reading Room was the preferred place for Karl Marx

Vidal and Christopher Isherwood to be obscene. Writers

and Lenin to write, and was often frequented by James

such as Damian Barr, Jake Arnott, Alan Hollinghurst and

Joyce, Rupert Brooke, Bram Stoker and Arthur Conan

Edmund White have all read at the shop, and the 2014 film

Doyle. Before 2000, visitors wanting to use the Reading

Pride features Gay’s the Word in several scenes.

Room had to apply in writing and were issued with a

Monday – Saturday 10am – 6.30pm / Sunday 12pm – 6pm

‘reader’s ticket’. Daily 10am – 5.30pm (Friday to 8.30pm)

SKOOB BOOKS 66 The Brunswick Centre, WC1N

N OTA B L E B OOKSH O PS AND MUSEUMS

THE WELLCOME COLLECTION BOOKSHOP

LONDON REVIEW BOOKSHOP

183 Euston Road, NW1

14 Bury Place, WC1A

Excellent selection of books relating to science and thought.

Opened in 2003 by the London Review of Books; includes

Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 6pm (Thursday till 9pm)

a lovely coffee shop and a strong selection of literary magazines. Their tote bags are particularly popular.

JARNDYCE ANTIQUARIAN BOOKSELLERS

‘A temple for proper secondhand books’, as described

46 Great Russell Street, WC1B

by Time Out.

Specialising in books published before the twentieth

Monday – Saturday 10.30am – 8pm / Sunday 10.30am

century. Famous for its window display of unusual titles.

– 6pm

Monday – Friday 11am – 5.30pm TREADWELL’S BOOKS AA BOOKSHOP

33 Store Street, WC1E

32 Bedford Square (door at No.33), WC1B

Secondhand bookshop specialising in the mystical.

Specialist in architecture books and magazines, including

Monday – Friday 11am – 7pm / Saturday and Sunday

titles from AA’s own publishing house.

12pm – 7pm

Monday – Saturday 10am – 6.30pm / Sunday 12pm – 6pm WATERSTONES

Monday – Saturday 10am – 6.30pm / Sunday 12pm – 6pm

82 Gower Street, Bloomsbury, WC1E

Secondhand bookshop specialising in private presses

BOOKMARKS

London; the large Gower Street branch includes two floors

and rare books on design and typography.

1 Bloomsbury Street, WC1B

Monday – Friday 11am – 6.30pm

Socialist bookshop and publisher.

COLLINGE & CLARK 13 Leigh Street, WC1H

Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 7pm / Monday 12pm – 7pm

There are several Waterstones bookshops around of academic titles ranging across numerous disciplines. Monday – Friday 8.30am – 9pm / Saturday 8.30am – 8pm / Sunday 12pm – 6pm

BLOOMSBURY

ANDRÉ DEUTSCH LTD

RALPH WALDO EMERSON

(Formerly) 105 Great Russell Street, WC1B

63 Russell Square, WC1B

Diana Athill aided André Deutsch at the start of his

The American essayist stayed here in 1833 during his

publishing venture from this building, now home to

first trip to England. He wrote about it in English Traits,

the famous art suppliers, Cornelissen. Eventually

documenting his visit to Samuel Coleridge, who was

becoming a director at André Deutsch Ltd, Athill is

living in Highgate, and his travels to the Lake District

now remembered primarily for her award-winning

to visit William Wordsworth.

memoirs. Yet, during her near-fifty years with the firm, she nurtured and worked with famed writers such as Philip Roth, Norman Mailer, Jean Rhys, Jack Kerouac, V.S. Naipaul and Margaret Atwood.

GERTRUDE STEIN

MARY MITFORD

20 Bloomsbury Square, WC1A

6 Russell Square, WC1B

The American poet, novelist, playwright and pioneer of

Mary Mitford (no relation to the infamous Mitford

modernism Gertrude Stein has become synonymous

sisters), a prolific writer of plays, poetry and novels

with her Paris salon and the artistic and literary greats

in the first half of the nineteenth century, is all but

she presided over. However, in 1902, upon leaving her

forgotten today. She lived in Bloomsbury and counted

native land for Europe, the 28-year-old Stein came to

Elizabeth Barrett Browning as a close friend. Although

London and shared this house with her brother Leo

Mitford published several successful books, she

for a year. She spent her days reading at the British

struggled with poverty; most of her earnings were

Museum, then home of the British Library.

used to pay off her father’s debts. Injuries sustained in a carriage accident led to her death in 1855.

CYRIL CONNOLLY

FABER & FABER

42 Bedford Square, WC1B

(Formerly) 25 Russell Square, WC1B

Cyril Connolly lived here during the Second World

T.S. Eliot worked here for nearly forty years as a pre-

War. The offices of his literary magazine, Horizon,

eminent editor of the publishing world. Great writers

were located nearby on Lansdowne Terrace.

who passed through the doors of 25 Russell Square included Dylan Thomas, Thom Gunn and Philip Larkin. The publishing company has since moved to nearby

Great Russell Street.

T.S. Eliot managed an impressive roll call of poets at Faber & Faber, including W.H. Auden, Philip Larkin and Ted Hughes. Anonymous/AP/Shutterstock

BLOOMSBURY

ANDRÉ DEUTSCH LTD

RALPH WALDO EMERSON

(Formerly) 105 Great Russell Street, WC1B

63 Russell Square, WC1B

Diana Athill aided André Deutsch at the start of his

The American essayist stayed here in 1833 during his

publishing venture from this building, now home to

first trip to England. He wrote about it in English Traits,

the famous art suppliers, Cornelissen. Eventually

documenting his visit to Samuel Coleridge, who was

becoming a director at André Deutsch Ltd, Athill is

living in Highgate, and his travels to the Lake District

now remembered primarily for her award-winning

to visit William Wordsworth.

memoirs. Yet, during her near-fifty years with the firm, she nurtured and worked with famed writers such as Philip Roth, Norman Mailer, Jean Rhys, Jack Kerouac, V.S. Naipaul and Margaret Atwood.

GERTRUDE STEIN

MARY MITFORD

20 Bloomsbury Square, WC1A

6 Russell Square, WC1B

The American poet, novelist, playwright and pioneer of

Mary Mitford (no relation to the infamous Mitford

modernism Gertrude Stein has become synonymous

sisters), a prolific writer of plays, poetry and novels

with her Paris salon and the artistic and literary greats

in the first half of the nineteenth century, is all but

she presided over. However, in 1902, upon leaving her

forgotten today. She lived in Bloomsbury and counted

native land for Europe, the 28-year-old Stein came to

Elizabeth Barrett Browning as a close friend. Although

London and shared this house with her brother Leo

Mitford published several successful books, she

for a year. She spent her days reading at the British

struggled with poverty; most of her earnings were

Museum, then home of the British Library.

used to pay off her father’s debts. Injuries sustained in a carriage accident led to her death in 1855.

CYRIL CONNOLLY

FABER & FABER

42 Bedford Square, WC1B

(Formerly) 25 Russell Square, WC1B

Cyril Connolly lived here during the Second World

T.S. Eliot worked here for nearly forty years as a pre-

War. The offices of his literary magazine, Horizon,

eminent editor of the publishing world. Great writers

were located nearby on Lansdowne Terrace.

who passed through the doors of 25 Russell Square included Dylan Thomas, Thom Gunn and Philip Larkin. The publishing company has since moved to nearby

Great Russell Street.

T.S. Eliot managed an impressive roll call of poets at Faber & Faber, including W.H. Auden, Philip Larkin and Ted Hughes. Anonymous/AP/Shutterstock

BLOOMSBURY

“HERE USED TO BE A GREAT LADY IN BEDFORD SQUARE WHO MANAGED TO MAKE LIFE SEEM A LITTLE AMUSING AND INTERESTING AND ADVENTUROUS.”

JOHN WYNDHAM

SENATE HOUSE

The Penn Club, 21-23 Bedford Place, WC1B

Malet Street, WC1E

John Wyndham lived at The Penn Club for nearly forty

The Ministry of Information, based at Senate House

years, first in Tavistock Square and then at its current

during the Second World War, provided inspiration

address in Bedford Place, finally leaving upon his

for Graham Greene’s novel The Ministry of Fear.

marriage to fellow resident, Grace Wilson. For many

Similarly, George Orwell drew upon his wife Eileen’s

years prior to their marriage, John and Grace lived in

experiences working for the censorship department

adjoining rooms at the club, which was unusual as men

for his description of The Ministry of Truth in Nineteen

and women were typically housed on separate floors.

Eighty-Four.

All of Wyndham’s best-known novels were written and published while he was living at the club, including The Day of the Triffids and The Midwich Cuckoos.

LADY OTTOLINE MORRELL

CHARLES DICKENS

44 Bedford Square, WC1B

Tavistock House, Tavistock Square, WC1H

At the home of Lady Ottoline Morrell, a salon named

When the lease ran out on his home in Marylebone,

‘Thursdays’ would convene in a room designed in

and with nine children in tow, Charles Dickens moved

yellow taffeta by the society hostess and patron of the

to an impressive house on this square in Bloomsbury,

arts. D.H. Lawrence, Henry James, W.B. Yeats, Aldous

where friends such as Wilkie Collins and Hans

Huxley, T.S. Eliot and Virginia Woolf were amongst the

Christian Andersen would visit. The author wrote

guests. Besides two volumes of memoirs, she left a

Bleak House, Hard Times and A Tale of Two Cities

distinct literary legacy, the inspiration for many literary

whilst living at this address. Dickens and his wife,

characters, including Mrs Bidlake in Aldous Huxley’s

Catherine, separated in 1858, and he sold the house

Point Counter Point, Hermione Roddice in D.H.

soon after. The building was demolished in 1901.

Lawrence’s Women in Love and Lady Caroline Bury in Graham Greene’s It’s a Battlefield.

VIRGINIA WOOLF, RECALLING LADY OTTOLINE MORRELL 14

BLOOMSBURY

“HERE USED TO BE A GREAT LADY IN BEDFORD SQUARE WHO MANAGED TO MAKE LIFE SEEM A LITTLE AMUSING AND INTERESTING AND ADVENTUROUS.”

JOHN WYNDHAM

SENATE HOUSE

The Penn Club, 21-23 Bedford Place, WC1B

Malet Street, WC1E

John Wyndham lived at The Penn Club for nearly forty

The Ministry of Information, based at Senate House

years, first in Tavistock Square and then at its current

during the Second World War, provided inspiration

address in Bedford Place, finally leaving upon his

for Graham Greene’s novel The Ministry of Fear.

marriage to fellow resident, Grace Wilson. For many

Similarly, George Orwell drew upon his wife Eileen’s

years prior to their marriage, John and Grace lived in

experiences working for the censorship department

adjoining rooms at the club, which was unusual as men

for his description of The Ministry of Truth in Nineteen

and women were typically housed on separate floors.

Eighty-Four.

All of Wyndham’s best-known novels were written and published while he was living at the club, including The Day of the Triffids and The Midwich Cuckoos.

LADY OTTOLINE MORRELL

CHARLES DICKENS

44 Bedford Square, WC1B

Tavistock House, Tavistock Square, WC1H

At the home of Lady Ottoline Morrell, a salon named

When the lease ran out on his home in Marylebone,

‘Thursdays’ would convene in a room designed in

and with nine children in tow, Charles Dickens moved

yellow taffeta by the society hostess and patron of the

to an impressive house on this square in Bloomsbury,

arts. D.H. Lawrence, Henry James, W.B. Yeats, Aldous

where friends such as Wilkie Collins and Hans

Huxley, T.S. Eliot and Virginia Woolf were amongst the

Christian Andersen would visit. The author wrote

guests. Besides two volumes of memoirs, she left a

Bleak House, Hard Times and A Tale of Two Cities

distinct literary legacy, the inspiration for many literary

whilst living at this address. Dickens and his wife,

characters, including Mrs Bidlake in Aldous Huxley’s

Catherine, separated in 1858, and he sold the house

Point Counter Point, Hermione Roddice in D.H.

soon after. The building was demolished in 1901.

Lawrence’s Women in Love and Lady Caroline Bury in Graham Greene’s It’s a Battlefield.

VIRGINIA WOOLF, RECALLING LADY OTTOLINE MORRELL 14

BLOOMSBURY

JOHN MAYNARD KEYNES

VIRGINIA WOOLF

46 Gordon Square, WC1H

Although best remembered as an economist, John

Following the death of their father, Virginia (then Virginia

Maynard Keynes was also a keen supporter of the arts.

Stephen), her sister Vanessa, and their brothers Adrian

He was a co-founder of the Arts Council in Britain, a

and Thoby moved into this house in Gordon Square

member of the Bloomsbury Group and counted

in 1904, and remained here for three years. The first

Virginia Woolf, T.S. Eliot and E.M. Forster as friends.

meetings of what would later be called the Bloomsbury

Woolf even based a character on Lydia Lopokova –

Group were held here, and their ‘Thursday evenings’

Keynes’ wife, a Russian ballerina – in Mrs Dalloway. He

of conversation and recitals were attended by many of

lived here from 1916 to 1946.

Thoby’s Cambridge friends, including Virginia’s future husband, Leonard Woolf, Lytton Strachey, Clive Bell, Duncan Grant, John Maynard Keynes and Roger Fry. Virginia was not particularly fond of the house, saying she felt it ‘so far away…cold and gloomy’. Thoby died

LYTTON STRACHEY

in 1906 and Vanessa and Clive Bell, now married,

51 Gordon Square, WC1H

took over the house. Virginia and Adrian moved to Fitzrovia, but returned regularly to attend meetings of the Bloomsbury Group.

Critic and biographer Lytton Strachey was born and grew up in London. He went to Cambridge in 1899, where he met and became friends with Clive Bell and Leonard Woolf, leading to his lifelong association with the Bloomsbury Group. In 1918, supported by members of that set, he published his most famous and influential work, Eminent Victorians, the success of which brought financial independence from his family. 51 Gordon Square was Strachey’s London home from 1921 until his death in 1932. A second home in Wiltshire was shared with the artist Dora Carrington and her husband Ralph Partridge, with whom he engaged in an open relationship. Strachey, however, was far more interested sexually in Partridge than Carrington.

Virginia Woolf lived in various locations around Bloomsbury in the early twentieth century.

BLOOMSBURY

JOHN MAYNARD KEYNES

VIRGINIA WOOLF

46 Gordon Square, WC1H

Although best remembered as an economist, John

Following the death of their father, Virginia (then Virginia

Maynard Keynes was also a keen supporter of the arts.

Stephen), her sister Vanessa, and their brothers Adrian

He was a co-founder of the Arts Council in Britain, a

and Thoby moved into this house in Gordon Square

member of the Bloomsbury Group and counted

in 1904, and remained here for three years. The first

Virginia Woolf, T.S. Eliot and E.M. Forster as friends.

meetings of what would later be called the Bloomsbury

Woolf even based a character on Lydia Lopokova –

Group were held here, and their ‘Thursday evenings’

Keynes’ wife, a Russian ballerina – in Mrs Dalloway. He

of conversation and recitals were attended by many of

lived here from 1916 to 1946.

LYTTON STRACHEY

in 1906 and Vanessa and Clive Bell, now married,

51 Gordon Square, WC1H

took over the house. Virginia and Adrian moved to Fitzrovia, but returned regularly to attend meetings of the Bloomsbury Group.

Virginia Woolf lived in various locations around Bloomsbury in the early twentieth century.

BELGRAVIA and KNIGHTSBRIDGE

HAROLD NICOLSON and VITA SACKVILLE-WEST

TERENCE RATTIGAN

182 Ebury Street, Belgravia, SW1W

29 Eaton Square, Belgravia, SW1W

When Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold

Rattigan lived in a flat at this desirable address

Nicolson moved into 182 Ebury Street in 1914, it

throughout the 1950s, and wrote many of his best-

was a larger house than it is today, combined with

known plays while here, including The Deep Blue

what is now No. 180. The house was owned by Vita’s

Sea and The Sleeping Prince (later filmed as The

mother, and the couple split their time between here

Prince and the Showgirl, starring Laurence Olivier

and their country home in Long Barn, Kent. During

and Marilyn Monroe). However, with the rise of the

this time, Harold would write his biography of Paul

‘Angry Young Men’ and the kitchen sink dramas

Verlaine (the first of six literary biographies he would

of the 1960s, Rattigan and his plays became

complete), and Vita her first novel, Heritage. Following

unfashionable. He left London, eventually settling in

the First World War, Vita would begin her affair with

Bermuda, where he wrote lucrative screenplays for

the writer Violet Trefusis, with Nicolson also pursuing

Hollywood. At one point, he was the highest paid

same-sex affairs. Virginia Woolf first dined at Ebury

screenwriter in the world.

Street in 1922, marking the beginning of what would be a long and intimate affair between herself and Vita. Harold and Vita moved out of Ebury Street in 1927

MARY SHELLEY

and spent most of their time at their new country

24 Chester Square, Belgravia, SW1W

home, Sissinghurst Castle, in Kent, where they went on to create one of the most influential gardens of the twentieth century. The couple continued to keep a

By the time the novelist Mary Shelley moved into this

home in London, first at King’s Bench Walk in Temple

house in 1846, she had been a widow for 24 years.

and then at Neville Street in Kensington.

Despite the deep love she had for her husband, the poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley, her life with him had been full of heartache: they lost three of their four children and the poet himself died in a boating accident when she was just 24 in 1822. Mary worked hard to support herself and her remaining son, writing several novels and plays (although none as successful as her earlier novel Frankenstein). She devoted herself to promoting her husband’s poetry and securing his place in literary history. Mary died here in 1851, at the age of 53, from a suspected brain tumour.

178

Terence Rattigan on the balcony of his Belgravia flat. Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images

BELGRAVIA and KNIGHTSBRIDGE

HAROLD NICOLSON and VITA SACKVILLE-WEST

TERENCE RATTIGAN

182 Ebury Street, Belgravia, SW1W

29 Eaton Square, Belgravia, SW1W

When Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold

Rattigan lived in a flat at this desirable address

Nicolson moved into 182 Ebury Street in 1914, it

throughout the 1950s, and wrote many of his best-

was a larger house than it is today, combined with

known plays while here, including The Deep Blue

what is now No. 180. The house was owned by Vita’s

Sea and The Sleeping Prince (later filmed as The

mother, and the couple split their time between here

Prince and the Showgirl, starring Laurence Olivier

and their country home in Long Barn, Kent. During

and Marilyn Monroe). However, with the rise of the

this time, Harold would write his biography of Paul

‘Angry Young Men’ and the kitchen sink dramas

Verlaine (the first of six literary biographies he would

of the 1960s, Rattigan and his plays became

complete), and Vita her first novel, Heritage. Following

unfashionable. He left London, eventually settling in

the First World War, Vita would begin her affair with

Bermuda, where he wrote lucrative screenplays for

the writer Violet Trefusis, with Nicolson also pursuing

Hollywood. At one point, he was the highest paid

same-sex affairs. Virginia Woolf first dined at Ebury

screenwriter in the world.

Street in 1922, marking the beginning of what would be a long and intimate affair between herself and Vita. Harold and Vita moved out of Ebury Street in 1927

MARY SHELLEY

and spent most of their time at their new country

24 Chester Square, Belgravia, SW1W

home, Sissinghurst Castle, in Kent, where they went on to create one of the most influential gardens of the twentieth century. The couple continued to keep a

By the time the novelist Mary Shelley moved into this

home in London, first at King’s Bench Walk in Temple

house in 1846, she had been a widow for 24 years.

and then at Neville Street in Kensington.

178

Terence Rattigan on the balcony of his Belgravia flat. Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images

OSCAR WILDE

A.C. SWINBURNE

Cadogan Hotel, 75 Sloane Street,

7 Chester Street, Belgravia, SW1X

KENSINGTON and EARL’S COURT

Knightsbridge, SW1X

Oscar Wilde was residing in room 108 of this

The poet, playwright and novelist Algernon Charles

rather grand hotel when he was arrested for gross

Swinburne was born here in 1837 to a wealthy

indecency, following the collapse of his libel case

Northumbrian family, but grew up predominantly on

against the Marquess of Queensberry.

the Isle of Wight. From the age of 12 he attended Eton College, which is generally acknowledged as where he developed the fetish for being flogged

PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY AND MARY SHELLEY

that characterised his adult life. In addition to

(Formerly) 41 Hans Place, Knightsbridge, SW1X

sadomasochism, Swinburne wrote about several taboo subjects of the time, including lesbianism, cannibalism and anti-theism, and throughout much of

Following their elopement to France some months

his literary career the poet would lead a dissolute life

earlier, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Shelley (now

of heavy drinking while engaging in sadomasochistic

pregnant), returned to London in October of 1814.

practices. The French novelist Guy de Maupassant,

They eventually found themselves staying at a house

who got to know the poet whilst he was staying

that could previously be found on this site. The pair’s

with his lover and fellow algolagniac George Powell,

return coincided with the birth of Shelley’s son by his

near Dieppe in France, described his visits to their

then-wife Harriet, a joyful experience for the poet. In

cottage: on display were piles of bones and a flayed,

contrast, Mary was often ill during her pregnancy. On

mummified hand (the fingers of which Powell would

22 February 1815, while living at the couple’s Hans

suck); a large pet monkey was noisily present, and

Place address, she gave birth prematurely to a baby

after lunch pornographic German photographs were

girl who died only a few weeks later.

brought out for their guests’ enjoyment.

E.F. BENSON 25 Brompton Square, Knightsbridge, SW3

Brushing-up against Kensington Gardens, close to Knightsbridge and fancier Belgravia, and home to numerous schools, Kensington has become a popular place for writers to reside in London, especially those with ‘day-jobs’ and families. It’s neighbour, Earl’s Court, however, with its rows of budget hotels, has become a place more frequented by backpackers. A hotel in Earl’s Court famously serves as the backdrop to what is arguably Patrick Hamilton’s greatest novel, Hangover Square, which was originally subtitled ‘A Tale of Darkest Earl’s Court’.

NOTA B L E B O O KS H O PS AND M U S E U M S SOUTH KENSINGTON BOOKS

THE MOSAIC ROOMS BOOKSHOP

22 Thurloe Street, Kensington, SW7

Tower House, 226 Cromwell Road, Earl’s Court, SW5

Good selection of new and remaindered books in most

Specialising in books about the Middle East.

subjects, specialising in art and history.

Tuesday – Saturday 11am – 6pm

Monday – Friday 10am – 8pm / Saturday 11am – 7pm /

Author E.F. Benson lived here for a time and set most

Sunday 12pm – 7pm

V&A BOOKSHOP Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7

of his novel, Lucia in London, at this address. THE EUROPEAN BOOKSHOP

Includes a wide range of books inspired by the museum’s

123 Gloucester Road, Kensington, SW7

collection.

Books in a wide variety of European languages.

Monday – Sunday 10am – 5.30pm (9.30pm Friday)

Monday – Saturday 9.30am – 6.30pm / Sunday 12pm – 5pm

182

183

OSCAR WILDE

A.C. SWINBURNE

Cadogan Hotel, 75 Sloane Street,

7 Chester Street, Belgravia, SW1X

KENSINGTON and EARL’S COURT

Knightsbridge, SW1X

Oscar Wilde was residing in room 108 of this

The poet, playwright and novelist Algernon Charles

rather grand hotel when he was arrested for gross

Swinburne was born here in 1837 to a wealthy

indecency, following the collapse of his libel case

Northumbrian family, but grew up predominantly on

against the Marquess of Queensberry.

the Isle of Wight. From the age of 12 he attended Eton College, which is generally acknowledged as where he developed the fetish for being flogged

PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY AND MARY SHELLEY

that characterised his adult life. In addition to

(Formerly) 41 Hans Place, Knightsbridge, SW1X

sadomasochism, Swinburne wrote about several taboo subjects of the time, including lesbianism, cannibalism and anti-theism, and throughout much of

Following their elopement to France some months

his literary career the poet would lead a dissolute life

earlier, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Shelley (now

of heavy drinking while engaging in sadomasochistic

pregnant), returned to London in October of 1814.

practices. The French novelist Guy de Maupassant,

They eventually found themselves staying at a house

who got to know the poet whilst he was staying

that could previously be found on this site. The pair’s

with his lover and fellow algolagniac George Powell,

return coincided with the birth of Shelley’s son by his

near Dieppe in France, described his visits to their

then-wife Harriet, a joyful experience for the poet. In

cottage: on display were piles of bones and a flayed,

contrast, Mary was often ill during her pregnancy. On

mummified hand (the fingers of which Powell would

22 February 1815, while living at the couple’s Hans

suck); a large pet monkey was noisily present, and

Place address, she gave birth prematurely to a baby

after lunch pornographic German photographs were

girl who died only a few weeks later.

brought out for their guests’ enjoyment.

E.F. BENSON 25 Brompton Square, Knightsbridge, SW3

NOTA B L E B O O KS H O PS AND M U S E U M S SOUTH KENSINGTON BOOKS

THE MOSAIC ROOMS BOOKSHOP

22 Thurloe Street, Kensington, SW7

Tower House, 226 Cromwell Road, Earl’s Court, SW5

Good selection of new and remaindered books in most

Specialising in books about the Middle East.

subjects, specialising in art and history.

Tuesday – Saturday 11am – 6pm

Monday – Friday 10am – 8pm / Saturday 11am – 7pm /

Author E.F. Benson lived here for a time and set most

Sunday 12pm – 7pm

V&A BOOKSHOP Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7

of his novel, Lucia in London, at this address. THE EUROPEAN BOOKSHOP

Includes a wide range of books inspired by the museum’s

123 Gloucester Road, Kensington, SW7

collection.

Books in a wide variety of European languages.

Monday – Sunday 10am – 5.30pm (9.30pm Friday)

Monday – Saturday 9.30am – 6.30pm / Sunday 12pm – 5pm

182

183

KENSINGTON and EARL’S COURT

IVY COMPTON-BURNETT

LONDON MAGAZINE

C.P. SNOW

VIRGINIA WOOLF

Flat 5, Braemar Mansions, Cornwall Gardens,

11 Queen’s Gate, Kensington, SW7

199 Cromwell Road, Earl’s Court, SW7

22 Hyde Park Gate, Kensington, SW7

This writer of 20 novels lived here for nearly 35 years,

This literary magazine, currently located in Queen’s

Snow is perhaps best known for his Strangers and

Virginia Woolf (née Stephen) and her siblings were all

up until her death in 1969. She shared the flat with her

Gate, has been on-again, off-again since its first issue

Brothers sequence of 11 novels, which deals, in part,

born and raised in this house with their parents, the

companion, the decorative arts historian, Margaret

in 1732. Amongst the hundreds of notable writers

with the mechanics of power. Drawing from his own

writer, historian and essayist Leslie Stephen and the

Jourdain.

that the magazine has published in its 250-plus years

experiences at Cambridge and working within the Civil

Pre-Raphaelite model Julia Stephen (née Jackson).

of print are: William Wordsworth, John Keats, Robert

Service and in Government, four of the final five books

Whilst living here, a teenage Virginia would start her

Louis Stevenson, T.S. Eliot, Jack London, W.H. Auden,

in the series were written while he lived here. It was also

own paper, The Hyde Park Gate News, with her sister

Sylvia Plath, William Boyd and Derek Walcott. Clearly,

while at Cromwell Road that Snow delivered his Rede

Vanessa.

it was a high-stakes business – one of the magazine’s

Lecture The Two Cultures, condemning the British

original founders, John Scott, was killed in a duel by

education system, which led to widespread debate.

Kensington, SW7

an editorial competitor in 1821. WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY

ROYAL ALBERT HALL

36 Onslow Square, Kensington, SW7

Kensington Gore, London, SW7

The 52-year-old novelist died from a stroke upon

Opened by Queen Victoria in 1871, many of the world’s

returning to his home at Onslow Square after dining

leading artists have performed on this famous venue’s

out, and was found the following morning. It is

hallowed stage. In 1930, 10,000 people attended a

estimated that 7,000 people attended his funeral.

memorial service for Arthur Conan Doyle, who had

T.S. ELIOT

NANCY MITFORD

9 Grenville Place, Kensington, SW7

4 Rutland Gate Mews, Kensington, SW7

After living in Buckinghamshire for a while, T.S.

Best known as one of London’s ‘Bright Young

Eliot moved back to the city to reside in a small flat

People’

in Kensington, working as a bank clerk at Lloyds

published her first novel at the age of 27 in 1931.

Bank Limited in the Colonial & Foreign Department.

At the outbreak of The Second World War, Nancy’s

passed away a few weeks prior; the hall was rented by

Virginia Woolf, who published Eliot’s The Waste

husband was called to duty and the writer moved

the Spiritualist Association, who brought in a medium

Land under her and her husband’s Hogarth Press,

back to her family home in Rutland Gate, where the

in hopes to reach Doyle from beyond the grave. In the

visited Eliot here. She encouraged Eliot to give up

main house was used as a refuge for victims of the

centre of the stage, Doyle’s widow and members of

the bank and write full-time, even offering a fund that

bombings. It was during the War that Mitford gained

his family sat next to an empty chair with a placard

the Bloomsbury Group had raised for the writer. Eliot

employment in the Mayfair bookshop, Heywood Hill,

reading the author’s name. When the medium declared

turned down the fund, as he enjoyed the routine of

making the store a favourite haunt of London’s literati.

she had spirits pushing her and cried “He is here!” the

the bank job and was well-liked by his colleagues.

Although her first novels did not sell well, she was

assembled crowd rose, and the organ began to play.

This choice did not, however, cut him off from the

encouraged by her friend Evelyn Waugh to continue

On a visit to London in 1965, Allen Ginsberg raised

Bloomsbury Group; he remained friends with several

to write. Recognising her talent, the bookstore

enough money to rent out the illustrious hall for The

of them for the rest of his life.

granted her three months of leave in order for her

International Poetry Incarnation on 11 June, creating

to write her semi-autobiographical novel, The Pursuit

one of the first British ‘happenings’ and a landmark

of Love. Published to acclaim and with bestselling

event for the counterculture revolution. Nearly twenty

sales, Mitford moved to Paris shortly after, without

poets read and shouted their works in the centre of

her husband, and never returned to live in England.

the main hall to the near 7,000 attendees.

186

in-between

the

wars,

Nancy

Mitford

187

KENSINGTON and EARL’S COURT

IVY COMPTON-BURNETT

LONDON MAGAZINE

C.P. SNOW

VIRGINIA WOOLF

Flat 5, Braemar Mansions, Cornwall Gardens,

11 Queen’s Gate, Kensington, SW7

199 Cromwell Road, Earl’s Court, SW7

22 Hyde Park Gate, Kensington, SW7

This writer of 20 novels lived here for nearly 35 years,

This literary magazine, currently located in Queen’s

Snow is perhaps best known for his Strangers and

Virginia Woolf (née Stephen) and her siblings were all

up until her death in 1969. She shared the flat with her

Gate, has been on-again, off-again since its first issue

Brothers sequence of 11 novels, which deals, in part,

born and raised in this house with their parents, the

companion, the decorative arts historian, Margaret

in 1732. Amongst the hundreds of notable writers

with the mechanics of power. Drawing from his own

writer, historian and essayist Leslie Stephen and the

Jourdain.

that the magazine has published in its 250-plus years

experiences at Cambridge and working within the Civil

Pre-Raphaelite model Julia Stephen (née Jackson).

of print are: William Wordsworth, John Keats, Robert

Service and in Government, four of the final five books

Whilst living here, a teenage Virginia would start her

Louis Stevenson, T.S. Eliot, Jack London, W.H. Auden,

in the series were written while he lived here. It was also

own paper, The Hyde Park Gate News, with her sister

Sylvia Plath, William Boyd and Derek Walcott. Clearly,

while at Cromwell Road that Snow delivered his Rede

Vanessa.

it was a high-stakes business – one of the magazine’s

Lecture The Two Cultures, condemning the British

original founders, John Scott, was killed in a duel by

education system, which led to widespread debate.

Kensington, SW7

an editorial competitor in 1821. WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY

ROYAL ALBERT HALL

36 Onslow Square, Kensington, SW7

Kensington Gore, London, SW7

The 52-year-old novelist died from a stroke upon

Opened by Queen Victoria in 1871, many of the world’s

returning to his home at Onslow Square after dining

leading artists have performed on this famous venue’s

out, and was found the following morning. It is

hallowed stage. In 1930, 10,000 people attended a

estimated that 7,000 people attended his funeral.

memorial service for Arthur Conan Doyle, who had

T.S. ELIOT

NANCY MITFORD

9 Grenville Place, Kensington, SW7

4 Rutland Gate Mews, Kensington, SW7

After living in Buckinghamshire for a while, T.S.

Best known as one of London’s ‘Bright Young

Eliot moved back to the city to reside in a small flat

People’

in Kensington, working as a bank clerk at Lloyds

published her first novel at the age of 27 in 1931.

Bank Limited in the Colonial & Foreign Department.

At the outbreak of The Second World War, Nancy’s

passed away a few weeks prior; the hall was rented by

Virginia Woolf, who published Eliot’s The Waste

husband was called to duty and the writer moved

the Spiritualist Association, who brought in a medium

Land under her and her husband’s Hogarth Press,

back to her family home in Rutland Gate, where the

in hopes to reach Doyle from beyond the grave. In the

visited Eliot here. She encouraged Eliot to give up

main house was used as a refuge for victims of the

centre of the stage, Doyle’s widow and members of

the bank and write full-time, even offering a fund that

bombings. It was during the War that Mitford gained

his family sat next to an empty chair with a placard

the Bloomsbury Group had raised for the writer. Eliot

employment in the Mayfair bookshop, Heywood Hill,

reading the author’s name. When the medium declared

turned down the fund, as he enjoyed the routine of

making the store a favourite haunt of London’s literati.

she had spirits pushing her and cried “He is here!” the

the bank job and was well-liked by his colleagues.

Although her first novels did not sell well, she was

assembled crowd rose, and the organ began to play.

This choice did not, however, cut him off from the

encouraged by her friend Evelyn Waugh to continue

On a visit to London in 1965, Allen Ginsberg raised

Bloomsbury Group; he remained friends with several

to write. Recognising her talent, the bookstore

enough money to rent out the illustrious hall for The

of them for the rest of his life.

granted her three months of leave in order for her

International Poetry Incarnation on 11 June, creating

to write her semi-autobiographical novel, The Pursuit

one of the first British ‘happenings’ and a landmark

of Love. Published to acclaim and with bestselling

event for the counterculture revolution. Nearly twenty

sales, Mitford moved to Paris shortly after, without

poets read and shouted their works in the centre of

her husband, and never returned to live in England.

the main hall to the near 7,000 attendees.

186

in-between

the

wars,

Nancy

Mitford

187

“ESSENTIAL READING” WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

MANY OF THE GREATEST BOOKS EVER WRITTEN CAN TRACE THEIR ORIGINS TO LONDON, AND THEIR AUTHORS – FROM WOOLF TO WILDE, AMIS TO BYRON, BLAKE AND PLATH – HAVE LIVED, WORKED AND PLAYED IN THE GREAT METROPOLIS. WRITERS’ LONDON FOLLOWS IN THEIR WAKE; SCOURING THE STREETS, WANDERING THROUGH CEMETERIES, LOITERING IN PUBS, FOR A MARVELLOUSLY IMMERSIVE INSIDER’S TOUR.

ISBN: 978-1-78884-046-0

ËxHSLHSIy840460zv&:,:*:^:& £15.00/$19.95