My Favourite Pub Walks .com
Dedicated to Pub Walkers across the UK
The John Nash Walk
Devonshire Street, London
Overview
Ralph Stephen does pub walks around London, in which he delivers lots of history (architects, writers, etc).
This means that the time taken to walk from pub A to pub B is much longer than if you walked at a brisk pace.
He does this only during the evenings, after work, right in the centre of London.
Directions to Start
As you exit Great Portland Street station go away from the church, down Great Portland Street itself. Turn
right onto Devonshire Street.
The Pubs
1/ The Mason’s Arms, 58 Devonshire Street. Nineteenth century pub with Masonic regalia. Seats on the
pavement.
6.30 - 7.30 pm. Shepherd Neame Spitfire, Green King IPA
2/ The Chester Arms, 87 Albany Street. Corner of Chester Gate and Albany Street
Wells’ Bombadier (+ chips from the bar).
8.15 - 9.00
3/ The Edinboro Castle, Delancey Street
Shepherd Neame Spitfire and Green King IPA. The taps in the gents are dated 1902 so that’s probably the
date of the pub. Nice garden seating area. Strange spelling on the pub sign.
9.45 - ?
Points of Interest
1. Ed Murrow
2. Dante Gabriel Rossetti
3. Regents Park
4. Jacques Lipchitz
5. Holy Trinity Church
6. The White House
7. Osnaburgh Street - East Side
8. Osnaburgh Street - West Side - The Fabians
9. St Mary Magdalene Church, Munster Square
10. Alfred Hitchcock
11. The Colosseum
12. Novels
13. Henry Mayhew
14. John Nash House
15. Chester Terrace
16. Christchurch / St George’s Cathedral
17. The Military Hospital
18. Albany Street Barracks
19. Cumberland Terrace
20. The Danish Church
My Favourite Pub Walks .com
Dedicated to Pub Walkers across the UK
The Walk
1. Ed Murrow
On exiting The Mason’s Arms turn left a few yards down Hallam Street to see the plaque
commemorating Ed Murrow. He worked for CBS most of his life. He was sent to England to try to persuade
British politicians and journalists to broadcast on radio for CBS. In 1938 he was in Vienna when the Anschluss
occurred. German radio was silent on the event so Ed Murrow broadcast directly to the UK and to the USA,
saying “I am speaking to you from Vienna at 2.30 in the morning. The Nazis have invaded but Hitler has not
yet arrived in the city”. It made his name famous. Later he produced radio documentaries at the time of
McCarthyism. He assembled a collection of recordings of McCarthy’s words to show that he contradicted
himself. His most famous words are “This [pause] is London”. He also said that fighting for freedom abroad
was meaningless unless you had freedom at home.
2. Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Return to Devonshire Street, and cross straight over to the cul-de-sac where Hallam Street ends. On the right,
on the first floor is a plaque marking where Dante Gabriel Rossetti was born. At that time it was called 35
Charlotte Street, now called 110 Hallam Street. His parents married twice, first as Catholics then again as
high Anglican. Rossetti’s father was a Carbonari (Freemason) and his mother was Church of England. She
was the dominant emotional force on her children, so they all became Anglicans. The father was a lecturer in
King’s College, in Italian literature. He translated Dante’s works into English and tried to find symbolism in the
works. Dante Gabriel Rossetti was the first-born in 1828. His sister Christina Rossetti (1830 - 1894) was born
here. Once six children had been born this house was too small so they relocated to another house on this
same street. When the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was formed in 1849, one of their first works was “The
Girlhood of Mary Virgin”. Christina was the model for Mary. In 1850 Dante Gabriel Rossetti painted “Ecce
Ancilla Dominii (The Annunciation)”. Again Christina is the model for Mary. She fell in love with James
Collinson, another member of the PRB. They became engaged. But when Collinson decided to dedicate
himself to the Catholic church, she broke off the engagement. Image her distress when Collinson gave up
Catholicism a year later and became an artist once more. He then showed no more interest in Christina. She
became almost morbidly religious. She tried to become a governess but illness prevented her from following
this course. She worked for a charity helping former prostitutes to become reformed. She also became a
volunteer working for the SPCK (Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge). Her most famous poem
is “Goblin Market”, which was illustrated by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. She also wrote “In The Deep Mid Winter”,
which was set to music by Gustav Holst, and became a popular Christmas carol. She appears never to have
had paid employment, and was probably supported by her brothers. Various stories are told about her life:
She refused to see Wagner’s operas because they were inspired by paganism. She bought a long poem by
Swinburne, and found some unsavoury parts in it. She stuck some pieces of white paper over certain
passages, so that she could read the poem without becoming offended by it. She enjoyed winning at chess
“too much” and therefore decided to give it up. We meet Christina again later in the walk.
Return to Devonshire Street then proceed to Portland Place. As you look back down the street you can
probably see a Falung Gong protester sitting on the east side. This is because this religious sect is
persecuted in China. Directly opposite is the Chinese Embassy, with TV masts on the roof. You can just see
the Institute of Physics, an undecorated building to your left. Inside the foyer is a plaque commemorating the
novelist John Buchan. He lived on the site of that building from 1912 to 1919.
Walk up Portland Street till you are abreast of the statue in the middle of the road. This is Joseph Lister, who
was the first to make extensive of antiseptic surgery. Up to this point surgeons didn’t bother to wash their
hands before performing an operation. Only two surgeons have public statues - this one for Joseph Lister and
the statue of Hunter in Leicester Square.
As you walk around Park Crescent you see a plaque for Adams, an American historian, and a plaque on the
house where Lister lived. Cross over to the west side of the street so that you are able to use the crossing at
the traffic lights on Marylebone Street.
My Favourite Pub Walks .com
Dedicated to Pub Walkers across the UK
3. Regents Park
The houses on all sides were built by John Nash, who was friend of the Prince Regent, the future George IV.
At several points during the walk you can see bollards and lamp-posted marked “GR IV”. In 1811 this whole
area was wild countryside. Henry VIII had used it for hunting and the site of his hunting lodge is marked by a
plaque near Marylebone church. The lease ran out and the Prince Regent decided to turn it into a park. John
Nash submitted proposals which were accepted in 1813. Only a few of the proposed villas were actually built,
and by 1825, the money had run out. He searched around for some money-making ideas. The zoological
Society was founded in 1826, and they established themselves at the north end. Although it was called a
public park, only those with property around the park could purchase keys at two pounds per annum. It didn’t
truly become public until 1828. Note the building with the word “DIORAMA” at the top.
From the north side of Marylebone Street walk eastwards then turn left into Peto Place. After a few yards you
can see “The Diorama”. This was built in 4 months by Morgan and Augustus Charles Pugin (father of the
architect of the Houses of Parliament) in 1825. John Nash was running of money for building all the houses
he wanted so he offered the area for a money-making scheme. In 1821 Daguerre (1787 - 1851) had created a
Diorama in Paris. He is famous for inventing photography on a copper plate, but wasn’t until 1837. We are
talking about his early life as a painter of panoramic scenes. In 1822 he brought his show to London. There
were 21 painted tableaux between 1823 and 1829. 200 people sat in an auditorium which could be rotated by
73 degrees. In 1825 another diorama opened up in Edinburgh (Lothian Road) and in Bristol. It had fallen out
of use by 1840, and was sold to a Baptist church in 1854. In the 1980s it was occupied by a theatre company
which still exists nearby. In the nineties it became The Prince’s Trust. The charity is run by Prince Charles and
aims to give a fresh start to young unemployed people or those have spent their childhood in care
organisations. It also offers community work schemes for young ex-offenders.
Return to Marylebone Street then stop outside “Which” The Consumer Council organisation at number 2. It is
funded by the Department of Trade and Industry. The magazine is funded by thousands of members who can
read about the scientific tests conducted on consumer durables.
4. Jacques Lipchitz
Look across the road to “International students house”. There is a memorial bust of Kennedy on the
Marylebone Road, close to Regent's Park Station, sculpted in 1965 by Jacques Lipchitz (1891 - 1973). He is
often described as the first cubist sculptor, but in this case, he is obviously more realistic. It was unveiled by
Robert Kennedy. It was paid for by readers of the Sunday Telegraph. In 1863 the world’s first underground
railway ran from Paddington to Farringdon. It was built using the “cut and cover” method - dig the road up, lay
the tracks, then cover it over. On 10th January 1863 Mr and Mrs Gladstone rode on it. Gladstone favoured the
gradual nationalisation of the railway. The line is just below road level, under your feet.
5. Holy Trinity Church
Continue eastward and pause outside Holy Trinity Church, 1 Marlebone Road. It was built by John Soane
(1753 - 1837) in 1828. He is better known for building the Bank of England and Marble Arch. In 1818
parliament passed a law setting aside one million pounds to mark the nation’s deliverance from invasion by
the French. This is one of the churches that was built with the money. Penguin books was started in 1936.
They used the crypt of Holy Trinity church as a warehouse, and put in a children's slide to receive books from
street level. In 1937 they moved to Harmondsworth. The church was then occupied by SPCK (The Society for
the Propagation of Christian Knowledge). SPCK is the protestant equivalent of the Catholic Truth Society, and
was founded in the 17th century. Recently it relocated to Turton Street, near Westminster Abbey. There is a
plan to convert the church into a shopping mall!
6. The White House
In 2002, Rafael Juan Bravo, 30, a night duty security guard at the British Aerospace Engineering site in
Stanmore, was apprehended when the 'Russian' spies turned out to be British.
He was arrested at the White House Hotel in Albany Street, near Regents Park, during an undercover
My Favourite Pub Walks .com
Dedicated to Pub Walkers across the UK
operation by MI5 and Special Branch police just hours after leaving work on August 22, 2001.
7. Osnaburgh Street - East Side
Kenneth Williams lived at Marlborough House 12 - 20 Osnaburgh Street from 1972 to 1988, when he killed
himself. In 1958 he was in “Hancock’s Half Hour” on radio. He joined Kenneth Horne on “Beyond Our Ken”,
which became “Round The Horne”. He stayed with that sketch show until it ended in 1968. He spoke polari in
some of the sketches, a secret language of homosexuals.
In 1848 there was a revolution in Paris, so Frederyck Chopin and Hector Berlioz moved to London. Berlioz
moved from Harley Street on 20 April to 26 Osnaburgh Street. His first wife was a Shakespearian actress, but
she turned out to be shrewish. He left her and started living with a mistress, an opera singer who later
became his second wife. She joined him at this address shortly afterwards. In July he returned to Paris. He
might have written some of the “Te Deum” here.
At number 34 is the Diorama Arts Centre.
In April 1882 GB Shaw moved into 36 Osnaburgh Street.
8. Osnaburgh Street - West Side - The Fabians
In January 1884 The Fabian Society was formed across the road at 17 Osnaburgh Street. Whereas the
labour party was founded on trade union support, the Fabians were not interested in militancy. They wanted
to mould the policies of local authorities to help the working class through education, health and housing.
They were social engineers - Stalinists without the violence. Orwell said they considered society to be like a
chess-board with themselves as the players. In 1883 there had been meetings there at the flat belonging to
Edward Pease (1857 - 1955). He worked as a stock broker in the city, but considered this kind of work to be
immoral. When his father died in 1884 he inherited 3,000 pounds. In 1886 he moved to Newcastle where he
became a cabinet-maker. He hoped to interest working class people in socialism, but was soon disillusioned.
He returned to London and in 1888 moved to the USA to try once again to interest workers in socialism, but
returned the same year. In 1889 he became the first paid secretary of the Fabians. Although George Bernard
Shaw lived across the road, he did not join until a couple of years after he had moved elsewhere. In 1884 the
Fabian Society moved to Dean’s Yard, Westminster. Probably the greatest achievement of the Fabian Society
was to found the London School of Economics. They wanted economics to be an objective science, not just a
tool for capitalists. The novelist E Nesbit was an early member of the Fabians.
When Clement Atlee went to his first Fabian meeting in 1907, he wondered whether you had to have a beard
before you could join.
9. St Mary Magdalene Church, Munster Square
The church was designed by R.C. Carpenter and built between 1849-52. It was extended in 1883-4 by
Carpenter’s son. The east window glass was designed by A.W.N. Pugin (1812 - 1852) and manufactured by
Hardman and Co 1851. It is outstanding. Pugin is better known as the architect of the Houses of Parliament.
Thomas Hans Orde-Lees (1877 - 1958) lived at 4, Munster Square. He was a store keeper on Shackleton’s
voyage to the Antarctic 1914 - 1917. He was widely hated for his laziness.
On the plus side, Orde-Lees is said to have been one of the first people to recommend the use of the
parachute.
All the houses on the island, bounded by Albany Street and Osnaburgh Street were demolished in 1935. The
White House was first opened in 1936 as an apartment building comprised of 758 luxury, furnished or
unfurnished apartments
The White House began to operate officially as a hotel in 1970. In July 1999, the White House Hotel became
the Mela White House.
My Favourite Pub Walks .com
Dedicated to Pub Walkers across the UK
10. Alfred Hitchcock
Stop on the north side of the Mela White House. Face the main exit. In 1935 Alfred Hitchcock came here to
make “The 39 Steps”. Robert Donat played Richard Hannay.
Donat finds a dead man in his room, and persuades the milk delivery man to lend him his white coat and milkcrate to escape in disguise. He then takes the train to Scotland * Pause at the corner of Longford Street and
Albany Street. You can see that number 31 and 33 are under scaffolding. There are both “Grade I” listed
buildings, presumably as late examples of John Nash’s work. That side of the street consists of the odd
numbers 1 to 35. Next there is 1 to 14 Colosseum Terrace, followed by 55 upwards Albany Street.
11. The Colosseum
The area occupied by Colosseum Terrace was occupied by Decimus Burton’s “The Colosseum” which was
more like The Parthenon in Rome than the Coliseum. It was built in 1824 - 1827 and had a dome larger than
St Paul’s cathedral. Decimus Burton (1800 - 1881) is better known for building Wellingtons’ Victory Arch
between Hyde Park and St James Park. He designed it in 1818 - aged only 18. In 1821 an artist called Mr
Thomas Horner sat on the dome of St Pauls at 4 am for several mornings to paint an aerial perspective of the
city. These were converted into a huge canvas painting by a Mr E. T. Parris and first shown in 1829. The
charge for admission in 1844 was one shilling. Visitors entered a room which was hoisted by machinery
through the centre of the building. This was probably the first elevator in the world. From the upper gallery
they could look down on landscaped gardens. After a few years a sculpture gallery was created. In 1845
another perspective was painted - London by night, and the price rose to four shillings. In 1848 there was a
view of Paris, and in 1850 a view of Switzerland. It had fallen out of use by 1870 and was pulled down in 1875.
Colosseum Terrace was built in 1878. In 1837 there was a variety theatre (Colosseum Saloon), and
occasionally showed plays. In 1988 many of these paintings were dusted off and exhibited once more as part
of the exhibition “Panoramania” at the Barbican.
12. Novels
Albany Street is mentioned in G.K. Chesterton’s “The Man Who Was Thursday” (1908), also in Daphne Du
Marier’s “Growing Pains: the Shaping of a Writer” (Victor Gollancz, 1977). An obscure conductor George
Melachrino (1909 - 1965) was born in Albany Street. He specialised in "tumbling strings" - a style of light
music more usually associated with Mantovani and Andre Kostelanetz.
13. Henry Mayhew
Cross over to the west side and stop at 55 for the blue plaque for Henry Mayhew (1812 - 1887) (founder of
“Punch” and author of "In Darkest England"). A group of writers described the lives of the poor, each of them
covering a different part of the country. Mayhew covered the London area. They submitted reports to “The
Morning Chronicle”, and after a couple of years the articles were gathered together and turned into three
volumes called “In Darkest England” (1851). In its usual curmudgeonly way, “The Economist” responded at
the time by saying that it was wrong-headed to publish such things, as it only encourages people to give to
charity, when people really ought to be struggling for their own success. Orwell did a similar kind of journalism
in “The Road to Wigan Pier” in 1937. Mayhew also wrote “London Labour and London Poor” in 1852, and
“Criminal Prisons in London” in 1862.
Into “The Chester Arms”
Walk uphill along “Chester Gate” and stop outside John Nash House.
14. John Nash House
There is a bust of John Nash on the west side of the house, high up on the wall of the first floor. This is
officiall3 Chester Terrace, but the entrance is in Chester Gate. John Nash trained as an architect but before
he could start his profession his parents died, leaving him enormously wealthy. He then left London to live in
Wales where he lived in luxurious idleness till his money was lost in badly-judged financial speculation. At the
age of 40 he was forced to work for a living for the first time, and returned to architecture. At first he designed
My Favourite Pub Walks .com
Dedicated to Pub Walkers across the UK
houses in the west country in a picturesque style, then returned to London. Biographers now think that he
suffered from “Asperperger’s syndrome”, a kind of autism that made it difficult for him to interpret the emotions
of others. Nevertheless he was able to marry and to make friends with the Prince Regent. It might even have
been a help to him, in concentrating on his work. His negotiating skills were poor. He gave rough plans to his
builders and allowed them to fill in the details themselves. He was a “hands off” manager. There is another
bust of him on the wall of All Souls Church, Langham Place.
15. Chester Terrace
Continue into Chester Terrace. This is probably the largest street sign in London.
Houses on the East side, numbered 1 to 42 are all Grade 1 listed. This street was used as a location for an
episode of “The Avengers” - “You’ll Catch Your Death” (1968). There are two blue plaques:
COCKERELL, C.R. (Charles Robert) (1788-1863),
Architect and Antiquary, lived and died here.
13 Chester Terrace, NW1
Camden 1989
SALMOND, Sir John Maitland (1881-1968)
Marshal of the Royal Air Force, RAF Commander, lived here 1928-1936
27 Chester Terrace, NW1
Camden 2002
Roughly where the Cockerell plaque house is located, is where Richard E Grant, playing the part of “Gordon
Comstock” visited Ravelston, the editor of a poetry magazine. This was in the 1997 film version of “Keep the
Aspidistra Flying” a 1936 novel by George Orwell. Helena Bonham Carter played the part of Rosemary, his
girlfriend.
At the end of the street, turn slightly rightwards onto Chester Place. At this point, if you look back you might
be able to see Chester Close North - where Christina Keeler lived.
And at the end of Chester Place turn right back onto Albany Street.
16. Christchurch / St George’s Cathedral
Look backwards at the church half-hidden by the trees. At the corner of Redhill Street/Albany Street is St
George's Cathedral - a Greek orthodox Church (antiochian). It was built in 1747 as "Christchurch". On 26th
January 1950 it was where George Orwell’s funeral was held. It was closed in 1989, until the Greek Orthodox
church took it over.
Christina Rossetti again
When I am dead, my dearest,
Sing no sad songs for me;
Plant thou no roses at my head,
Nor shady cypress tree.
Be the green grass above me
With showers and dewdrops wet;
And if thou wilt, remember,
And if thou wilt, forget.
Christina Rossetti died at 166 Albany Street. She frequently went to Christchurch - a high Anglican church,
almost Catholic. Her brother Dante Gabriel Rossetti made two sets of the stained glass window “The Sermon
on the Mount”. One copy is installed in this church.
17. The Military Hospital
At 152-4 Albany Street, Nash designed a military hospital to specialise in the treatment of eye injuries. It later
My Favourite Pub Walks .com
Dedicated to Pub Walkers across the UK
became the “Regents Park Manufactury” where an American inventor called Jacob Perkins constructed a
“steam gun”. In 1826 it became the home of the inventor Sir Goldsworthy Gurney (1793 - 1875) where
Gurney invented the blowtorch, limelight and a steam powered car. In 1829 he travelled from London to Bath
in it at an average speed of 15 miles per hour. In 1829 George Stevenson used a steam engine by Gurney is
his “Rocket”. In order to protect horse-drawn coaches the government put huge taxes on steam driven
vehicles, and Gurney went bankrupt. The remnants of his lighting systems can still be seen in the House of
Commons and around Trafalgar Square. The site of the workshop is now occupied by “The Victory” pub.
18. Albany Street Barracks
2/9/39 - the day before war broke out - the war office was moved here.
3/9/39 - Albany Street. 1100 hrs - A state of war, between England and Germany came into existence.1125
hrs - A general air raid alarm was sounded and the PAD scheme was put into operation. The alarm lasted
about 20 minutes but proved to be false and the all clear was sounded.
Music Hall comedienne Ida Barr, whose real name was Maud Barlow, was born at the Albany Street Barracks,
Regents Park, London, on 17 January 1882, the daughter of a sergeant-major in the Life Guards.
HG Wells "The War of the Worlds" - When the Martians landed - "the sound of drumming and trumpeting
came from the Albany Street Barracks"
Since 1896, the Royal Horse Guards have been based here. They are involved in riot control in London.
Believe it or not they are a charity, called "Queen's Royal Hussars Collection Trust". On Sunday mornings the
horses are given some exercise, by being ridden around the park.
An anarchist group called the "Angry Brigade" bombed the Albany Street barracks in 1971. One of them was
held here, as they are high-security premises.
Walk past the barracks on the opposite side of the street. Sometimes there is a guard carrying a machine gun.
Continue until you can see steps on the left-hand side (Cumberland Terrace Mews). Climb back up to the
park side. You are part-way along Cumberland Terrace.
19. Cumberland Terrace
Houses numbered 1 to 59 are all Grade 1 listed.
Cumberland Terrace is the longest and most elaborate of John Nash’s terraces around Regents Park. On
your left there is a triangular pediment above the houses. As well as standard Greek and Roman gods, there
is a central figure of Britannia. The style is similar to Wedgewood pottery, with a blue sky background. The
terrace is named after Ernest The Duke of Cumberland, son of George III. He later became King of Hanover
1837 - 51. He was the first of the Royal Dukes to join the Orange Order. As you might expect, he campaigned
against granting the vote to Catholics, but in 1829, Wellington passed an act allowing Catholics to vote.
At number 10 Bernard Herrmann lived (1911 - 1975). He was born in New York and remained an American
citizen all his life, but was an Anglophile. In 1937 he came to London and met Constant Lambert. He read
Dickens and Bronte, and was enthusiastic about Elgar and Delius. He was the first person to conduct Ives’s
2nd symphony in the UK. He wrote the music for “Citizen Kane”, “Fahrenheit 451”, “Psycho”, “North by
Northwest”, “The Man who Knew Too Much” (1934)“Taxi”, and several other films. He lived in London for six
months of the year from 1960 to 1973. From 1971 to 1973 he lived nearby in Chester Close North, in the
same flat where Christine Keeler previously lived. He wrote some of the music for the series “The Twilight
Zone”. While he was standing on the film set he saw a stray cat. Nobody else claimed it so he adopted it and
named it “Twi”.
Tom Cruise lives on this street. Recently he rescued a woman who was attacked on this street.
A brief scene in a Dr Who episode was filmed here, with the Cybermen.
20. The Danish Church
Walk to the end of the terrace then cross over towards the park, on the main road. Just after Cumberland
My Favourite Pub Walks .com
Dedicated to Pub Walkers across the UK
Terrace is “The Danish Church and St Katherine Hall”. The Royal Foundation of St Katherine was established
in 1148, in the area now called St Katherine’s docks. Due to the growth of London as a port the area was
cleared in 1825 for construction of a dock. The foundation relocated to here. This church was built in 1825 in
a gothic style by Ambrose Poynter, father of the Pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Poynter. Inside there are
relics from the previous docklands church, including plaques and engraved stones from the 1770s. The
foundation relocated back to Poplar during the first world war, and Princess Alexandra gave the church to the
Danes in London. This is probably the best place in London to learn Danish.
To the right of the church is a garden with a gate. Go through the gate to look at “The Gelling Stone”. This is a
copy of a Viking stone, created in 1955 for an exhibition in Earl’s Court. The original was created by a
Christian Danish king called Bluetooth in 980. We can date it precisely because the stones makes reference
to Danish territories which were lost soon after the stone was cut. King Bluetooth has given his name to a
type of radio protocol for wireless computers.
On the other side of the church you can see the back of a house. This is 197 Albany Street. The composer
Constant Lambert lived her from 1947 to 1951. Lambert was a conductor for Saddlers Wells for many years.
Rumour has it that he had an affair with Margot Fonteyn. In 1947 he married Isabel Nichols. They moved here
as their wedding home. Isabel was a painter who decorated the scenery for Lambert’s last ballet - “Tiresias”. It
was savaged by the critics, and biographers have even suggested that it was the critics who killed him. He
was an alcoholic and had undiagnosed Parkinson’s disease. After Lambert’s death Isabel married another
composer, Alan Rawsthorne. Under the name Isabel Rawsthorne she became a model for Francis Bacon.
There are several portraits of her by Bacon. She had previously lived in Paris and had been George Bataille’s
girlfriend.
Return to Regents Park Road and walk to the traffic lights. Turn right along Gloucester Gate. Point to 15
Gloucester Gate but don’t explain why. Turn the corner back to Albany Street and stop outside the back door
of 15 Gloucester Gate. The blue plaque commemorates W. W. JACOBS (1863-1943), Author, lived at 15
Gloucester Gate (the front of the house is on Albany Street). He wrote a short story called “The Monkey’s
Paw”, possibly the most anthologised horror story ever written. There was a film version made in 1935? by
Schoedsack. His next film was “King Kong”, with music by Bernard Herrmann.
Walk back down Albany Street (I realise some people will be gasping for beer). On the left is Park Village
West. Just in case you thought John Nash was a rather limited architect, these are examples of his work in
other styles - Gothic and picturesque. At 17 Park Village West there is a blue plaque to commemorate the
“Sisters of Mercy”, founded here in 1845. It was the first Church of England sisterhood to be founded since
the middle ages.
Return to the giant traffic junction. Keep to the right-hand side then turn into Delancey Street.
The Edinboro Castle has a garden area with dozens of tables.