Victorian London Locations Assignment

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For my Victorian London Locations Assignment, I chose Wimpole Street as my location to research.

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– Wimpole Street was named after Wimpole Hall, a palatial house in Cambridgeshire.

– Wimpole Street was known for it’s many doctors, opticians, and dentists whose practices were along the street.

– Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself opened his ophthalmic practice in Upper Wimpole Street in 1891. He began writing short stories when, “five or six months later, … not one single patient had ever crossed the threshold” [a colourful exaggeration that he later contradicted].

The inclusion of Wimpole Street in Blue Carbuncle, although very brief (simply listed as a name along with several other streets), was meant to relate to and seem more realistic for the audience reading the story. Wimpole Street attracted “the cream of London society” where much of the Upper Class visited or resided. Being that a good portion of the audience who read Holmes stories were of the upper class, mentioning Wimpole Street made for a much more compelling story.

*Non Victorian London Fact about Wimpole Street* Paul McCartney actually wrote “I Wand To Hold Your Hand” and “Yesterday” at 52 Wimpole Street while staying with his current girlfriend’s parents.

 

Source: Willey, Russ. “Wimpole Street – Hidden London.” Hidden London. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.