It was Dr Johnson, the man many thank for our modern dictionary, who wrote in the 18th century “You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”
And one of the most beautiful things about London is its literary heritage – in fact, in many of our Residential Land properties you will be ‘neighbours’ with a number of literary giants.
At The Royal Academy by Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy, one of the finest novelists of the Victorian period, was also revered for his poetry, he wrote many about his time in the capital including ‘At Madame Tussauds In Victorian Years’ where he makes no mention of battling hordes of tourists so things were clearly very different back then!
He also wrote a poem called ‘At The Royal Academy’. The RA is a hop, skip and a jump from our chic Hill Street properties and is one of London’s finest art galleries.
Today you can wander the galleries as Hardy would have done in the 19th century, admiring the landscape paintings he describes in the poem:
“These summer landscapes clump, and copse, and coft/ Woodland and meadowland here hung aloft”
The Fitzroy Tavern in Fitzrovia
This is the perfect location to raise a glass to the rich literary heritage of London. In fact, you might be toasting in the same spot where Dylan Thomas or even George Orwell once stood.
This London landmark boasts some of the most iconic names in literature among its patrons. The tavern still has an authentic Victorian feel, with partitioned rooms and ornately decorated walls. Venture downstairs to the ‘Writers and Artists Bar’ for a more intimate drink.
Residential Land’s Fitzrovia properties are dotted around this famously bohemian and bookish neighbourhood which once counted Virginia Woolf among its residents.
Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey
Poets’ Corner is so-called due to the number of bards memorialised here. The first poet buried here was Geoffrey Chaucer, in 1400, due to his role as Clerk of Works of the Palace of Westminster. In any case, so began a tradition.
Though not many poets are actually buried here, a huge number are memorialised: Shakespeare, Lord Byron, the Brontë sisters, Dickens and Tennyson are all honoured in the Abbey, in some way or another.
This is a gorgeous and peaceful place to spend an afternoon. Visit the poets then afterwards enjoy reading a book alongside coffee and cake in the Cellarium café.
221b Baker Street in Marylebone
“We met next day as he had arranged, and inspected the rooms at No. 221B, Baker Street, of which he had spoken at our meeting. They consisted of a couple of comfortable bedrooms and a single large airy sitting-room, cheerfully finished, and illuminated by two broad windows.”
No list of London’s literature would be complete without our most famous character in residence – Det. Sherlock Holmes. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s quintessential crime novels are most commonly associated with 221b Baker Street, Holmes’ house in the centre of London.
At the time Conan Doyle was writing, however, the numbers on Baker Street didn’t go as high as 221 – he made up the address having already decided that Marylebone was the ideal abode for his hero. Perhaps if Residential Land had been operating back in 1887 Conan Doyle would have nested Sherlock in one of our fabulous Marylebone properties –perfect digs for the astute professional. We could also offer Irene Adler, the femme fatale in the famous story ‘A Scandal in Belgravia’ a chic Chelsea apartment to conduct her affairs in.
