THE HISTORY OF SOUTH HAMPSTEAD: ALEXANDRA ROAD'S LEIGHTON HOUSE

"There is often no stronger proof than rumour concerning historical anecdotes and speculation - and often no stronger proof is needed"

Max Arthur, OBE, in "Lost Voices of the Edwardians"

Leighton House: by Geoffrey S. Fletcher

Prior to its demolition in 1971, Leighton House, 103 Alexandra Road, had long been associated with Lillie Langtry - a celebrated Victorian beauty, socialite, actress and between 1877 and 1880, the paramour of the Prince of Wales - the later King Edward VII.

Prof. Jane Ridley in "Bertie - A Life of Edward VII", p. 208

A lifelong friend of the Prince, Lillie was invited to his coronation in 1902 - and to his funeral in 1910.

Lillie Langtry

How did Leighton House become associated with Lillie?

It is a long story - and a controversial one at that; not least because legends, gossip and rumours cannot always be proved beyond a doubt; and inferences made from leases, electoral registers, census records and such paraphernalia, do not always prove conclusive.

An example:

In May 2021, a couple of local historians, apparently unable to find Lillie's name on any record they had come across, presumed the house's association with her was a ruse: a myth concocted in 1965 by a resident "Greek actress" to try and prevent its demolition (...)

The Press nescient of the flaws in their research, bought into it and headlines followed but, as Oscar Wilde could have told them: "The truth is rarely pure and never simple."

In her book "Bertie: A Life of Edward VII", Jane Ridley - a Professor of Modern History - suggests another possible angle to the story:

Professor Jane Ridley in "Bertie - A Life of Edward VII", p. 212

Maybe Lillie did not buy or lease Leighton House herself …

Perhaps arrangements were made …

Maybe Lillie lived there for a relatively short period or only used the house - or part of it - occasionally …

☼ In fact, as a married woman living in the Victorian era, Lillie would not have been in a position to buy or rent Leighton House, or any other house for that matter - not until The Married Women’s Property Act was passed in 1882. In the interim, arrangements had to be made.

☼ By the same token, one would not find her name (Emilie Charlotte Le Breton/ Langtry) or, that of any other woman, on the Electoral Registers - and much less on Poll Books (discontinued in 1872) - as women were not allowed to vote until The Representation of the People Act in 1918.

One thing seems certain; the moment Lillie was seen entering or leaving the house - with or without the Prince - rumours would have started and, as the saying goes, "a tale never loses in the telling".

The question remains:

Was the legend invented, as some 'storians have suggested?

Or did they overlook evidence to the contrary?

This blog, is a repository of independent research on the subject of Lillie Langtry's connection with Leighton House - 103 Alexandra Road. St. John's Wood/South Hampstead (London).

Please read on

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