An Elizabethan building in London, with a garden?

[feliciacraft]

For a couple of sentences that I'm obsessing over in a WIP fic

Comments

[shapinglight]

There really isn't that much Elizabethan architecture left in London. It all got destroyed in the Great Fire in 16-whenever it was. What is left, is usually some kind of palace or important building so probably not good safe house locations

Really, Georgian townhouses are the most common (so a Watchers' safe house would blend in more). Maybe in the Bloomsbury area, near the British Museum if you want it to be fairly central? Or, if they're being really anonymous, a large Victorian terrace somewhere near Clapham Junction in south London.

ETA: both sorts of properties could have an enclosed rear garden.

[feliciacraft]

> There really isn't that much Elizabethan architecture left in London. It all got destroyed in the Great Fire in 16-whenever it was. What is left, is usually some kind of palace or important building so probably not good safe house locations

Ah, good to know. See, that's the difference between learning from Google that, "Yes, it does exist!" and knowing from someone with local knowledge that it's extremely uncommon and very much eye-catching when it does exist. ;)

OK, back to Georgian style! Which is much less of a "Hey, look at me!" type of architecture anyway. I like the location of it being close to the British Museum, where, according to Buffy, at least, Giles once worked?

That was more helpful than an hour of Googling. Thank you so much! :D

[shapinglight]

My pleasure. :)

I wouldn't swear to which roads around the BM are Georgian houses and which Victorian, btw. Hopefully, there'll be a Wikipedia article or some such that will help.

Google Earth?

[rahirah]

What I've done sometimes for fic is use Google Earth to wander through the place I'm researching till I find a place I like the looks of, and then ruthlesssly adapt it to my purposes. Of course that only works in largish cities at present, but it can be useful.

[denorios]

I could imagine the Watchers being based somewhere like St Bartholomew's Gatehouse - it's historic but not so historic it would be subject to a lot of scrutiny, it's sandwiched between a couple of nondescript shops, and I can imagine the Watchers would see the benefit of being located on consecrated ground... :grins: They could have snapped it up during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Plus it was hidden behind a Georgian facade (deliberately done by the Watchers, of course) until a Zeppelin bomb during WW1 demolished a lot of the facade.

ETA: Google tells me it was a school for a while during the 50s/60s/70s - perfect cover for why a bunch of young girls might be hanging around being 'educated', i.e. trained as potential Slayers.

[feliciacraft]

Oh wow, you thought of everything! Being on consecrated ground would be absolutely advantageous to a group that hunts vampires. The history of the building is wonderful too. I love the fact that it was briefly used as a school. Thank you so much!

[brutti_ma_buoni]

I like this answer. Barts has some of the longest continuous land ownership in England, certainly in London (my friend is the archivist there!). The only thing is that Barts is right by Smithfield, the meat market, which feels very un-Council-like if they could avoid it

[feliciacraft]

I did indeed look at Staple Inn in my location scouting on behalf of the Council, which makes me irrationally pleased with self! ;)

Ah, yes, surrounding areas are also important. Very thoughtful of you to mention Smithfield near Barts.

This hypothetical house buying is ridiculously fun! Thank you for sharing your local knowledge! :)

[kazzy_cee]

Another alternative would be The George Inn in London Bridge. It's been there since the 1700s.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_George_Inn,_Southwark

[feliciacraft]

Oh and what a beautiful building it is! There's so much history there. Thanks for the suggestion!

[red_satin_doll]

This conversation is so much fun to read! (And it goes without saying that I am rather looking forward to the fic you're writing.)

[snogged]

Agreed!

[feliciacraft]

Thanks, hun! :)

[feliciacraft]

Thank you. It's going to take a while, but I hope it have it ready for my second posting day at Summer of Giles (in a month or so). :)

[gillo]

How central do you need it to be? The City suffered very badly in the Blitz, but lots of patching the surrounding Boroughs survived; the Queen's House at Kew, Ham House, large chunks of Greenwich Palace (as destroyed in one of the Thor films) or even aristocratic houses like Sion Park or Marble Hill House. Any of those might provide cover for the Council.

[feliciacraft]

Oh, I had some vague notion that the house should be more than a middle class family could afford, but not near the level of a manor house such that comings and goings would draw too much unwanted attention; be in a walkable neighborhood with access to subway, or be close enough to grandeur of a degree that'd impress most Americans. ;)

I did look at the Ham House, but think it's way too grand. Council Headquarters, maybe, but probably too much for a safe house.

I'll check out the other houses you mentioned. Much thanks!