Alexander Davison’s No 11 St James Square, London

November 12, 2013 at 4:35 am (estates, history, london's landscape, people) (adam brothers, alexander davison, architecture, beau monde, hannah greig, harriet gosling, london, saint james square)

Although Mary and Charles made scant mention of Mary’s Aunt and Uncle Davison (Alexander Davison’s wife, Harriet Gosling, was her father William Gosling’s sister), the Davison children made frequent company.

So, doing a little belated work at seeing the London residence of the Davisons – No. 11 St James Square – after reading about the area in Hannah Greig’s excellent The Beau Monde, I was so excited to come across a little history of No. 11 in the section “LOOKING AT DRAWINGS” from the Sir John Soane Museum. Click the photo (a 2013 picture) to be taken away to St James Square, London:

• read a fine description via British History Online
• Christie’s 2010 “Newton Hall” Country House Sale (some family items)
• Collage’s collection of photos, No 11 Saint James Square
• Martyn Downer’s book, Nelson’s Purse
• letters of Frances Lady Nelson to Alexander Davison (sold Sotheby’s 2002), one of 72 letters found “literally in a trunk in the attic”
  • Davison items at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
  • Lady Nelson at NMM
  • article: Smithsonian Magazine, “Lord Nelson: Hero … and Cad!“
  • article: Colin White’s “The Wife’s Tale“
  • Davison’s Alabaster panels @ Sotheby’s

Address panel of Lady Nelson’s letter