|
Poland Street, where Shelley fled to in
April 1811 after his expulsion from Oxford,
still stands, now decorated with a
tremendous mural of which Shelley probably
would have heartily approved. His
first-floor (second floor to Americans)
rooms were for rent in June 1999, and the
street-level storefront housed a very good
Italian restaurant. There had been a plaque
designating the historical importance of
the site, but the building’s
residents told me it had been stolen by
American tourists.
However, most London Shelley sites have
fallen victim to the Victorian passion for
urban renewal and the twentieth century
need for vertical space. Lewis’s
Hotel on St. James’ Street, and
Cook’s Hotel on Abermarle Street no
longer exist, nor were we able to locate
the lodgings Shelley took at Half Moon
Street, the Kentish town 5 Church Terrace
address, Hans Place, 13 Arabella Road,
Norfolk Street, or the Hunts’ houses
in the Vale of Health and Lisson Grove.
|
)
)
)