In “A Lost Masterpiece” the speaker is an individual from the country, who came to London with an idea that would positively impact multitudes of people. As the story progresses this individual passes through different points of London and becomes distracted, eventually losing his grand idea, causing him to become distraught. I researched the final point this traveler passed through, where his idea eventually eluded him; the location was Charing Cross. Charing Cross Road became a redevelopment project in the late eighteen hundreds, and was an ugly droll place. the following passage details the demeanor, “The east side of the northern part of Charing Cross Road is lined with buildings of various styles, heights,and materials, although red bricks predominates and a general level of mediocrity prevails” (Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road). The overall melancholy of the appearance of the buildings may have had something to do with our protagonist losing his grand idea. the story also mentions a woman that, through no fault of her own, infiltrated his mind and forced his grand scheme to vacate. This woman may have been one of the many who were moved into housing projects that were reserved for the working class. these moves are described as such, “In December 1884 the Home Secretary certified that the Board had provided artisans’ dwellings for upwards of two thousand persons of the laboring classes” (Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road). These individuals were all displaced due to the restructuring of the streets on which they lived. The overall depressive state of Charing Cross mirrors the depression of the speaker, after he loses his wonderful idea.

Work Cited

‘Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road.’ Survey of London: Volumes 33              and 34, St Anne Soho. Ed. F H W Sheppard. London: London County                      Council, 1966. 296-312. British History Online. Web. 9 September 2015.                   http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vols33-4/pp296-312.