The house the FVIP (Famous, Very Important Person) lived in
is in Kensington.*
It’s a sweet little gem of a Victorian house in a picture-postcard
setting – you’d think you were in “Cottage Row” in village Wiltshire.
It’s a seven room house. In 1881 there were 15 people living
in that seven-room house. Three families and three lodgers.
Let’s head back to 1881. To meet the Richardson family. John
Richardson, the Head of the household, is a “Cow Dealer’s Manager.” He and his
wife Francis have a 15-year-old daughter, a 13-year-old son and a two-year-old
daughter. They also have a lodger, Alfred Wilmore, a corn chandler’s assistant.
Now step this way to meet the Jones family. John’s a
Draper’s Assistant. He and his wife Louisa have a four-year-old son, Hugh.
Finally, the Claydons. George is a 27-year-old shopman. He
and his wife have a young family. Two toddlers – a three-year-old son and a
year-old son.
They also have two lodgers: Thomas Tilley, a 45-year-old
shopman and Thomas Tilley, a 20-year-old clerk.
Thirty years later it’s not quite so crowded. Only eight
people, plus an overnight visitor that night (April 2, 1911) – Eleanor Althea
Bacon, a 27-year-old dressmaker from Norfolk, a family friend of Susannah
Langley. Susannah’s the wife of the Head of the Household, Henry Langley, a
Grocer’s Manager. He and Susannah have two children, an 11-year-old daughter
and a nine-year-old daughter. They also have two lodgers. The show-stoppingly
named George Sly Stutter, a 52-year-old bank messenger. And 28-year-old
Gertrude Colman, a shop assistant. Finally, there’s 42-year-old Elizabeth
Kyles, the cook. Yes, the Langleys have a cook.
You pick your year under that roof – 1881 or 1911 – it’s a
lot of people for a seven-room-house. Where’d they all sleep? What about
bathroom arrangements? Either deck of cards, whichever way you deal them,
they’re awkward. Toddlers are a handful. Pre-teens are a handful. A female
lodge and a male lodger. You got a 17-20 room house – like the ones on nearby
Queensgate Terrace (which I recently blogged here on the DC) – no problem. But
a seven-room house?
I don’t think it’s far-fetched to suggest that life in a
barrio in Brazil today – or in a shantytown in Joburg – might well be
preferable to life under that particular roof in Kensington a century and
change ago. For starters, you’d take the weather.
Anything else? What do you think?
The house is worth over £3,000,000 today.
Five years ago it was worth £2,000,000.
Welcome to London, pilgrims.
*Yes, this is a bit of London Walks Freemium. The difference
is the Freemium feature – i.e., holding back the Premium feature – isn’t aimed
at you, dear DC reader, it’s in place because of the knock-offs in our line of
work. We’ve had it with them helping themselves to our research. In this case
that means the FVIP is the mystery guest on this post. He’s not going to be
named here. And neither is the street.
The knock-offs can do their own digging.
Full disclosure – of course – about the FVIP on the walk. When
we’re standing in front of the house.
Meet David on The Old Kensington tour Thursdays 2pm High Street Kensington tube.
Here's a video of David in action…










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