Grade II listed house in Westminster, thought to date from c1725. A description of the street in 1708, as well as continuous occupancy, would suggest an earlier date of c1700. Members of Parliament, high-ranking men in the Exchequer, Army officers, dramatists and people with minor titles all lived in the street during its early history. One wayward teenager ran away to sea in 1746, and provided the inspiration for Henry Fielding’s Tom Jones.
In the 19th century there was a social downhill slide from the 18th century professional single-family homes to multi-occupancy houses, and just behind was an area described by Dickens as ‘The Devil’s Acre’, a haven for debtors and felons.