In Dull Brown

Piccadilly Circus & class distinction

~ Courtney K.

piccdilly

One of London’s lovely roundabouts, Piccadilly Circus connects an array of different streets together, including one of more famous streets–Regent Street. Yet, after coming up Piccadilly street, the circle homes many of London’s middle class as well as visitors from all around the city thanks to the omnibus chartering people around from place to place. As illustrated in In Dull Brown by Evelyn Sharp, the contrast in clothing displayed on the omnibus that Jean and Tom road around London “‘That comes of the simple russet gown,’ she thought ; ‘of
course he thinks I am a little shop-girl'” becomes a symbol of the middle class making up the Circus (182). The brown gown that Jean wears is one associated with the working class rather than the “monotony of black coats and umbrellas” of the upper class London citizens (185). The omnibus allows a mixing of classes where the rich and the less-than-rich ride around London with ease in order to get from place to place; converging rather than segregating the class systems. To further explore the class surrounding the massive circle, “Charles Booth Online Archive” provides maps with the layout of the impoverished.

piccdilly 1
Locals surrounding the Circus

 

 

 

 

piccdilly 2

 

 

As shown by the picture above, the red surrounding Piccadilly street and the Circus were well-off, middle class ladies and gents.

Upon further inspection of the Circus area of London, deep in “the  Proceedings of the Old Bailey” records online, many crimes of theft had been recorded during London’s history. According to various court recordings from various different men of working class vocation (typically carpenters, shoe makers, guilder, barmen, etc), many accounts of larceny and pick-pocketing had occurred within the Piccadilly area of Victorian London. From one of the pick-pocket accounts on the Bailey’s website archives, the defendant went on to elaborate about the crime:  “I felt a pull at my pocket; I turned and saw the prisoner drop my handkerchief; I laid hold of him,” and in turn the thief, a man of 18, pleaded guilty and had served fourteen years (Old Bailey). An astoundingly lengthy amount of time to serve for a handkerchief of only 5 shillings. Then again, better than losing one’s hands for pleading guilty to theft. The concentration of crime in the Circus, and even the pick-pocketing of cloth could have to do more-so with the sanitation problem striking London during this time. Thanks to the incorporation of omnibuses, the amount of pollution in the air and sickness running rapid could cause the need to steal personal items or money from those within the large area. That, or poverty from the surrounding streets brought out the need to reach into pockets of the rich despite the harsh, long sentences stapled to those found guilty.

 

Works Cited:

“The Proceedings of the Old Bailey.” Results. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Sept. 2015

“The Charles Booth Online Archive.” Results. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Sept. 2015

“In Dull Brown.” The Yellow Nineties Online – Search the Archive. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Sept. 2015.

Piccadilly Circus- “In Dull Brown”

~ Heather Ryan

Piccadilly Circus is an intersection in West London that connects Regent Street to other throughways of London. (Survey of London.) Most notably it joined Regent Street to Shaftesbury Avenue after the latters completion in 1886. After this, Piccadilly Circus lost its circular shape.

PicadillyCircus

As we can see from the Booth Archive, Piccadilly Circus in the late 1890s was a middle-class neighborhood with well-off inhabitants. Piccadillysocioeconomic

It is also where the heroine of the story “In Dull Brown” by Evelyn Sharp, Jean, gets off the omnibus and goes to work as a tutor for a wealthy family. This exemplifies the class different between Jean and her suitor, Tom Unwin. Tom may get off at this stop in the hopes of seeing her because he has no other demands on his time. But for Jean, the only time she will see Piccadilly is for her business. And even then she does not have all the time in the world to chat with Tom. She is constantly aware of the limit to her personal time. Piccadilly acts like a barrier between Jean and Tom. On one side of it she is a woman free to go about as she pleases, but on the other she is an worker who must always be aware of how she might be viewed by her employer. At one point Jean frets over the bad example she would be if her students saw her talking with a strange man she was never introduced with. While Piccadilly Circus may connect East and West London, what it means to Jean is a division between her and Tom.

 

Sharp, Evelyn. “In Dull Brown.” The Yellow Book 8 (January 1896): 181-200. The Yellow Nineties Online. Ed. Dennis Denisoff and Lorraine Janzen Kooistra. Ryerson University, 2012. Web. [Date of access]. http://1890s.ca/HTML.aspx?s=YBV8_sharp_dull.html

‘The rebuilding of Piccadilly Circus and the Regent Street Quadrant.’ Survey of London: Volumes 31 and 32, St James Westminster, Part 2. Ed. F H W Sheppard. London: London County Council, 1963. 85-100. British History Online. Web. 9 September 2015. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vols31-2/pt2/pp85-100.

“Booth Poverty Map & Modern Map (Charles Booth Online Archive).” Booth Poverty Map & Modern Map (Charles Booth Online Archive). N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2015.

Oxford Street: “In Dull Brown”

~ Ashley Schluter
Oxford Street / Oxford circus
Oxford Street / Oxford circus

In the story “In Dull Brown” by Evelyn Sharp, Oxford Street plays a huge role. The story takes place among a few different streets, one of which is Oxford Street. Oxford Street was a shopping district in Victorian London. It was home to over two-hundred guilty theft charges over a span of 50 years.1 Located in the west end of London the street, other than the thefts, was a popular place. The street contains the Oxford/Regent circus which is also a detail in the story. From west to east the road crosses Regent Street, Berners Street and turns into New Oxford Street.
qwert

Oxford Street “…consisted almost uniformly of modest, irregular Georgian houses with shop fronts; only at the very west end close to Park Lane, where there was a scatter of substantial private houses and their outbuildings…”.2 This quote explains a little bit more about the importance of the dull brown dress Jean is originally wearing. The understated dress against the understated background would normally be unnoticed. Also it explains the comment, “That comes of the simple russet gown,” she thought ; “of course he thinks I am a little shop-girl.”

“They had reached the corner of Berners Street, and she came to a standstill”, the streets Jean and Tom are on and cross are important not only because of setting but also because of the historical aspects of their location. Jean mentions Tom walking to business which is relative to the shopping district. This area of London was not poverty stricken, was not industrial, instead it was a district of moderate wealth and fashion forward ideas. Buckingham Palace is accessible through Green Park, which Tom and Jean later meet in after winter passes.

Today, Oxford Street is still a shopping district and is home to some very famous and very expensive retailers such as Dior and Louis Vuitton.

Sharp, Evelyn. “In Dull Brown.” The Yellow Book 8 (January 1896): 181-200. The Yellow Nineties Online. Ed. Dennis Denisoff and Lorraine Janzen Kooistra. Ryerson University, 2012. Web. [Date of access]. http://1890s.ca/HTML.aspx?s=YBV8_sharp_dull.html

  1. ‘Oxford Street: Introduction.’ Survey of London: Volume 40, the Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair, Part 2 (The Buildings). Ed. F H W Sheppard. London: London County Council, 1980. 171. British History Online. Web. 8 September 2015. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol40/pt2/p171.
  2. 2. 115 guilty verdicts for theft 1800-1819, 292 guilty 1771 – 1819 -old Bailey proceedings, as found through http://www.locatinglondon.org/

Waterloo Place

~ Katie Vyas

Katelynn Vyas

 

In the article entitled, “Waterloo Place and Her Majesty’s Theatre” by Edward Walford, from the “British History”, Waterloo Place was as complex as Victorian life itself.  The layout of Waterloo Place was designed by architect Mr. Nash.  It intersects at Pall Mall and is conjoined with Regent Street.  Around the year 1815 “low and mean houses” or “filthy dwellings” were demolished to create an area that would later come to be referred to as Waterloo Place and Lower Regent Street.  Described as a “spacious” place in which to live and relax, Waterloo Place is perhaps most famous for being connected to Regent’s Park which is described as having “elegant villas, and as being encircled by rows of houses of noble elevation.”  It is likely Waterloo Place was a highly appointed location. It had beautiful in architect, timeless design and befitted the upper class (Walford. “British Histories”).

The significance of Waterloo Place in the story “In Dull Brown” by writer Evelyn Sharp, taken from the book entitled The Yellow Book, is Sharp’s description of her “journey” on the omnibus.  Sharp, who “is going to teach three children all sorts of things they don’t want to learn a bit”, identifies the stops along the route of the omnibus while in route to Waterloo Place, which includes Green Park and Piccadilly Circus Station.  The adjoining areas were designed to accommodate the upper class (Sharp.185).  Due in part to its unique configuration, Waterloo Place is what we would consider a “square”.  The street and those that intersect it are well appointed with five statues and two large monuments.  They include the “Guards Monument” and the “Duke of York” as situated at the end of Waterloo Place and the intersection of Carlton Garden.  The five statues depict renowned British figures.  They stand in quiet solitude and are: The Sir John Franklin Statue, The Burgoyne Statue, The Lord Lawrence Statue, The Lord Clyde Statue, and The Lord Napier of Magdala Statue (Victorian Google Maps).   Waterloo Place is also well-known for the Athenaeum Club, an erudite association that is located across from The United Service Club and a bank.
Sharp is likened herself to the setting of Waterloo Place.  Although the historical significance of the statues is recorded in time, they stand for those who refuse to acknowledge their origins as insignificant details of history.  Some individuals find them to be inconsequential and choose not to learn about them.  And like the statues who stand in quiet solitude Sharp realizes that on her daily journeys to and from her teaching assignment it is acceptable for her to assume a posture of quiet solitude among the masses with whom she mingles.Sharp is likened herself to the setting of Waterloo Place.  Although the historical significance of the statues is recorded in time, they stand for those who refuse to acknowledge their origins as insignificant details of history.  Some individuals find them to be inconsequential and choose not to learn about them.  And like the statues who stand in quiet solitude Sharp realizes that on her daily journeys to and from her teaching assignment it is acceptable for her to assume a posture of quiet solitude among the masses with whom she mingles.

far left- The Athenaeum
The Athenaeum to the far left

The Athenaeum Club, which appears to the left, is located on the corner of Waterloo Place (Ward. “Victorian Web”).  According to the “British Histories” in the article entitled “Pall Mall, South Side, Exiting Buildings: The United Service Club, The Athenaeum”, this scholarly club was established in 1815 and came to fruition in 1825.  It was conceptualized by John Wilson Croker as a gathering place for individuals known for their intellectual contributions to British society in the areas of literature, science, artistic accomplishments and who valued patrons of these endeavors.  Affiliates were best known for their: inherited prominence, distinguished social positions, and scholarly influence.  The club: both in concept and reality was highly efficacious. Other like-minded organizations succeeded the Athenaeum Club and replicated it in principal.  The United Service Club was a highly successful army and navy gentlemen’s club that serviced senior officers (“British Histories”).

 

 

 

 

Works cited

‘Pall Mall, South Side, Existing Buildings: The United Service Club, The Athenaeum.’ Survey of

London: Volumes 29 and 30, St James Westminster, Part 1. Ed. F H W Sheppard. London: London County Council, 1960. 386-399. British History Online. Web. 3 September 2015. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vols29-30/pt1/pp386-399.

Sharp, Evelyn. “In Dull Brown.” The Yellow Book 8 (January 1896): 181-200. The Yellow

Nineties Online.Ed. Dennis Denisoff and Lorraine Janzen Kooistra. Ryerson University,

  1. Web. 7 September 2015. http://1890s.ca/HTML.aspx?s=YBV8_sharp_dull.html

“Victorian Google Maps.” Victorian GoogleMaps. Google, n.d. Web. 05 Sept. 2015.

Walford, Edward. ‘Waterloo Place and Her Majesty’s Theatre.’ Old and New London: Volume 4.

London: Cassell, Petter & Galpin, 1878. 206-216. British History Online. Web. 8 September 2015. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/old-new-london/vol4/pp206-216.

Ward, Humphry. History of the Athenaeum, 1824-1925. London: Printed for the Club, 1926.

[From the Collection of Professor Ernest Chew, National University of Singapore]

http://www.victorianweb.org/victorian/art/architecture/classical/5.html