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Pinsteps. 19 Greek Street, London: A Time Capsule of Scandals, Art & Revolution
Places to visit in in City of Westminster Languages: en

Let me take you inside its 300-year-old secrets…

  1. The Building's Bones: A Georgian Rebel Built in 1731, this four-story townhouse escaped the Great Fire of London but not the drama of Soho.

Architectural quirks: The Original Clerkenwell ironwork on the railings (stolen in 1820 and replaced with replicas), and "witch marks" carved into the attic beams (to ward off plague).

Hidden feature: A tunnel in the cellar once led to the White House brothel on Bateman Street—used by nobles to visit "discreetly".

(Run your hand along the front door’s grooves—those are from 19th-century suffragettes chaining themselves here during protests!)

  1. Resident Ghosts: The Poet & The Courtesan William Blake (1757-1827) The visionary poet lived here in 1785 while writing "Songs of Innocence". His tiny attic room still has faded ink stains on the floorboards (from spilt engraving acid).

Ghostly phenomenon: Visitors report smelling burnt copper (his printing press) and hearing whispered lines of "Tyger, Tyger" at 3 AM.

Harriette Wilson (1786-1846) London's most infamous courtesan ran her salon here in 1810, hosting Byron, the Duke of Wellington, and a teenage Disraeli.

Scandal: She blackmailed lovers by threatening to publish memoirs ("I'll tell" is allegedly scratched into a bedroom mirror).

  1. The 1920s: Cocaine, Jazz & Espionage 1923: Became the Cosmopolitan Club—a front for a lesbian speakeasy run by "Joe" Carstairs, a gender-fluid heiress who stored her lover's ashes in the grandfather clock.

Spy games: MI5 suspected Soviet agents used backroom poker games to pass secrets. The truth? They were smuggling Picasso sketches rolled inside cigars.

(Peek under the floorboards—there's still a single cocaine vial from 1925 wedged beneath.)

  1. The 1960s: Bowie, Bacon & a Bloody Murder David Bowie wrote "Space Oddity" in the basement in 1968 (landlord kicked him out for "weird noises").

Francis Bacon got drunk here and sketched a lost portrait on a napkin, later used as a takeaway menu by the café next door.

The Unsolved Murder: In 1969, a Swedish model was found dead in the hallway. Case closed as "suicide," but the bloodstain reappears every full moon.

  1. Today: Soho's Beating Heart Now houses the 19 Greek Street art gallery (avant-garde installations).

Active ghosts: Staff blame "Blake's poltergeist" for moving sculptures and "Harriette's perfume" (opium + roses) in the stairwell.

Your Turn to Investigate:

🔍 Find the bullet hole near the fireplace (from a 1946 gangster shootout).

📜 Peek in the gallery's guestbook—Bowie signed it in 1995 with a doodle of Ziggy Stardust.

Why This Address? "19 Greek Street isn't a building—it's a palimpsest of London's wild soul. Every brick holds a confession, a crime, or a line of poetry. Want to see the tunnel? Meet me at midnight…"

(P.S. The café next door still serves Bacon's favourite oyster omelette—though they won't admit why it's called "The Murder Special.")

🚀 Pro Tip: For the whole visit during the Soho Literary Festival, when actors reenact Blake's tantrums and Harriette's blackmail schemes!


Pictures uploaded by @Margarita Alekseeva
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Margarita Alekseeva
A Two-Hour Walk Through Secret London of Sep 30, 2018

History, Legends & Atmosphere

Short description for travellers: Discover London through hidden corners and royal landmarks! This short walking tour takes you from elegant parks to West End theatres, from underground cafés to sites where history was made. Along the way, you'll see:

🔹 St James's Park & the Blue Bridge – where aristocrats met secretly, and Cold War spies supposedly exchanged signals. 🔹 Trafalgar Theatre – once home to scandalous plays and haunted by a ghostly actress, they say. 🔹 *Wesley's Café at Central Hall Westminster – where the UN was born in 1946, and where today you sip coffee beneath memorial plaques. 🔹 Hidden Soho paths** – where 18th-century actresses and courtesans played their games of power and charm.

This route blends real history, urban legends, and the unique atmosphere that makes London mysterious and unforgettable. Are you ready to walk in the footsteps of monarchs, spies, and theatre rebels?

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Discover routes near this place here!
Margarita Alekseeva (author)
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Use detailed routes created by your friends and professionals. Don't be afraid to get lost in new places!
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