London
Eric's
first house in London was at 11 Sloane Terrace in Chelsea. Like most
people, even the rich, of this time he rented rather than owned.
Chelsea had developed from a small village to a London suburb in the middle part of the nineteenth Century. Made fashionable by the Chelsea Physic Garden and the Cremone Gardens its popularity amongst the rich and famous continues up to the present day.
Number 11 was demolished some time in the 1930's to build a telephone exchange but it would have closely resembles houses like number 4, shown on the left.
Eric
moved to Number 21 Gloucester Walk, in neighbouring Kensington (between
Holland Park and Kensington Gardens) sometime in 1890, to be closer
to his friends such as Robert Ross, Charles Ricketts and the Pre-Raphaelite
set. Even though he was rich enough to afford cabs Eric preferred to
travel around London by omnibus or to walk. He was a familar figure,
striding along in his eccesntric brightly coloured suits between Gloucester
Walk anbd Cheyne Walk.
His housekeeper here was a Mrs. Brotherton. Eric was obviously fonmd of her and in her usual generous way left her all his jewellery and silver (excepting two silver dishes which were to be returned to Estonia) in his will. Interestingly the will was witnessed by his housemaid Martha Joseph.
