A Visit to Regency London
Come with me to Regency London! Do not forget to don your special eyeglasses, the ones that will eliminate all evidence of city development after 1820 or so, including Victorian remodeling, post-Blitz reconstruction, contemporary skyscrapers, autos and buses, and modern clothing.
We shall start at the old address, No. 1 London, the site of Apsley House, home of the Duke of Wellington (1). The original Adam house was re-faced in Bath stone in the Victorian era; the Duke entertained here, particularly at the Battle of Waterloo annual anniversary banquet, beginning in the appropriately named Waterloo Gallery (2).
Crossing to Piccadilly, we find Albany (3,4), where so many famous Regency gentlemen (not to mention numerous fictional heroes) lived; it is located next door to Burlington House, once the home of Lord Burlington and now, after many additions, the Royal Academy of Art. Across the street is Hatchard's Book Shop (5).
If we meander around St. James, south of Piccadilly, we will encounter the famous church, St. James (6), and St. James Palace (7). Among the men's clubs are Boodles (8), White's (9) and Brook's.
Strolling around Mayfair, we find the oldest section, known as Shepherd's Market (10,11) and many streets lined with Georgian-looking buildings (12,13) as well as a few modern adaptations. Berkeley Square (14) is still a prestigious address. The Mayfair parish church is St. George's Hanover Square (15), scene of so many weddings, in fiction and in fact. Crewe House (17,18), in Curzon Street is presently the Embassy of Saudi Arabia; it is one of the few remaining original-style Mayfair houses with a yard and carriageway before it.
A bit north of Mayfair is Portman Square, where two famous houses by Robert Adam are located. One is the Royal Institute of British Architect's gallery and the other is Home House, now a private club (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24).
Heading east toward The City, we first encounter St. Martin in the Field's (25), on Trafalgar Square (laid out in the mid-19th century). We will continue east on The Strand, noting Somerset House (26), St. Mary le Strand (27), St. Clement Dane (28), and St. Bride's (29). Eventually we arrive at St. Paul's Cathedral (30, 31), and farther on, at the Tower of London (32, 33, 34, 35).
A trip up Whitehall takes us past Horse Guards (36,37), and eventually to Westminster Abbey (38, 39, 40).
Across the Thames, we could visit Bedlam, the Royal Bethlehem Hospital, which today houses the Imperial War Museum (41).
In other areas of the city, easily accessible by your coachman (or by bus, tube or taxi), you will find the Geffrye Museum in Shoreditch, here showing the Regency room (42).
Not far from some modern sights you might want to include, like the Tate Modern and the Globe theater, is the George, an original coaching inn, preserved by the National Trust though still serving a fine and relaxing tankard of ale. (43)
In the largest of London's Squares, Lincoln's Inn Fields, stands the wonderful Sir John Soane's Museum (45), very much as it existed in his day. Also on the square is the handsome fa�ade of Lindsay House (46), a neo-classic masterpiece by architect Inigo Jones. To see more of Soane's work, you have to travel to more-or-less opposite sides of the metropolitan area. The Dulwich Art Museum (47) was the first public art museum in England. And Soane's country residence, Pittshanger Manor (48), can be visited in the suburb of Ealing.
A few more sights our Regency characters probably visited include Windsor (49,50), Hampton Court (51, 52) and Greenwich (53, 54).
You will note that some of the most famous London landmarks - Big Ben, Parliament, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, the National Gallery, the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, for example - are not included because they were either non-existent in the Regency or so dramatically different in appearance they would be unrecognizable to a Regency Gentleman or Miss.
I can't pretend to be a great photographer, but when I look at these snapshots, a bit of Regency London comes to life for me. I hope it does for you, too.