The best of Chelsea by the people who know - Cadogan

18 | STREETS & SIGHTS |
She was an Irish poet, who wrote under
the pen name ‘Speranza’.
• Captain Robert Falcon Scott
(1868-1912), also known as Scott of
the Antarctic, an explorer who led two
expeditions to the South Pole, lived at
56 Oakley Street.
He led a small team to reach the pole
in January 1912, only to discover that a
rival Norwegian team had beaten them
to it by five weeks. Scott and his team all
perished on the return journey, despite
the unwell Captain Lawrence Oates
famously sacrificing himself by walking
out of the tent into a blizzard to give his
team-mates a better chance of survival.
• David and Angie Bowie lived at 89
Oakley Street from 1973 to 74.
Old Church Street
• John F Sartorius (c.1775-c.1830),
best known for his sporting paintings,
especially of horses, lived at 155 Old
Church Street from 1807-1812.
• University professor, Church of
England priest and author Charles
Kingsley (1819-1875), best known
for writing The Water-Babies, lived
at 56 Old Church Street. His father
was Chelsea’s parish rector from
1836-1860.
• Ceramic artist and novelist William
De Morgan (1839-1917) and his wife
Evelyn (1855-1919) lived and died at
127 Old Church Street. He was friends
with William Morris and designed tiles,
stained glass and furniture for Morris &
Co, while Evelyn was a Pre-Raphaelite
painter.
• Sound Techniques, an independent
recording studio, was at 46a Old Church
Street from 1964-1976, and was used
by artists including Nick Drake, Pink
Floyd, the Who and the Yardbirds.
• Former Def Leppard guitarist Steve
Clark (1960-1991) died from a drug
overdose at his home at 44 Old Church
Street, aged 30.
Royal Hospital Chelsea
Pont Street
• Sir George Alexander (1858-1918)
lived at 57 Pont Street. He was actormanager
of St James’s Theatre and
produced several major plays, including
Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan
and The Second Mrs Tanqueray by
Sir Arthur Wing Pinero.
Wilde’s The Importance of Being
Earnest premiered at the theatre in
February 1895, with Alexander himself
Royal Borough of Kensingon & Chelsea, Family & Children’s Service
The Flying Man
One of the most colourful stories from
Chelsea’s past is that of the ‘flying man’.
Vincent de Groof, a Belgian with a
dream of making a flying machine that
imitated a bird’s wings, planned a public
demonstration of his invention at
Cremorne Gardens in 1874. He had
already successfully trialled his flying
apparatus at the gardens, and claimed
he could fly through the air for 500 feet.
On a fateful July evening, the crowds
gathered to watch him make his
descent. His invention, made of cane
and silk and similar to a bat’s wings, had
levers to control it and he planned to
swoop down from a balloon. The balloon
lifted de Groof and his machine high into
the air, about 300-400 feet, but he
seemed to lose his nerve and ask for the
balloon to be lowered to he could make
his flight from nearer the ground.
According to newspaper reports at
the time, as the balloon drifted towards
St Luke’s Church, the balloonist was
heard to tell de Groof to cut himself
loose or he would land on the church
roof. De Groof cut the rope when he was
80 feet from the ground, hoping to land
in the churchyard, but his wings didn’t
inflate and he plummeted into Robert
Street (now Sydney Street).
He never regained consciousness and
in the role of Mr John Worthing, JP.
The Marquess of Queensberry, who
would eventually bring about Wilde’s
downfall (see Oscar Wilde under
Tite Street), intended to disrupt the premiere,
but Alexander and Wilde were
tipped off and prevented him from
attending.
Wilde’s conviction for gross indecency
in May 1895 led to the play being
closed, despite its success.
died shortly after at Chelsea Infirmary.
His wife reportedly fainted at the sight
of the crash and the flying machine was
carried off in shreds by the crowd before
the police could secure it. The balloon
soared away over Victoria Park and was
apparently watched with interest by
many people, unaware of its role in
the tragedy.
• Actress Lillie Langtry (1853-1929) lived
at 21 Pont Street (see The Cadogan in
Hotels).
Royal Hospital Road
• The Royal Hospital Chelsea is a
beautiful, grand Grade I-listed 17thcentury
buildings, mostly built by Sir
Christopher Wren, with three large
courtyards and well-kept grounds. The
main courtyard, Figure Court, features an
Royal Borough of Kensingon & Chelsea, Family & Children’s Service