WHERE WILKIE LIVED

Several of the houses which Wilkie lived in still stand, including two of the Marylebone homes he shared with Caroline Graves, the woman he lived with for most of his adult life. The other extant homes are those he shared with his parents and, after his father's death, his mother. The many other places he lived - including his birthplace and those of his children - are now, sadly, gone.

During much of his life he maintained two establishments. In one he lived under his own name with Caroline Graves and her daughter Harriet. Caroline was at different times known as his housekeeper and secretary. They were, of course, lovers - certainly for much of the time. From the late 1860s he set up a separate establishment with Martha Rudd. There he was known as William Dawson, barrister-at-law. Martha was known as Mrs Dawson, and their three children also took that name.

Anyone seeking out these homes should be aware that the names of streets and the numbering of houses have both changed over the last 150 years. The present houses and streets are not necessarily the original ones. The addresses given here are the original ones. The current addresses - where known - are in the detailed essays. Some dates overlap a little because Wilkie sometimes had more than place where he stayed or wrote letters from.

• With parents
  • 11 New Cavendish Street born 8 January 1824 to 1826
  • Pond Street, Hampstead 1826-1829
  • Hampstead Square 1829-1830
  • 30 Porchester Terrace 1830-1838
  • 20 Avenue Road, Regent's Park 1838-1840
  • 85 Oxford Terrace 1840-1843
  • 1 Devonport Street, Hyde Park Gardens 1843-1848
  With mother
  • 38 Blandford Square 1848-1850
  • 17 Hanover Terrace 1850-1856
  • 2 Clarence Terrace, Regent's Park 1856
  • 2 Harley Place, New Road (renumbered 11 Harley Place, Marylebone Road in February 1857) 1857-1858
  With Caroline Graves
  • 22 Howland Street 1856-1858
  • 124 Albany Street 1859
  • 2a New Cavendish Street 1859-1860
  • 12 Harley Street 1860-1864
  • 9 Melcombe Place, Dorset Square 1864-1867
  • 90 Gloucester Place 1867-1888
  • 82 Wimpole Street 1888-1889 died 23 September 1889
  • Kensal Green Cemetery buried 1889
  With Martha Rudd
  • 33 Bolsover Street 1868(?)-1873(?) (as William and Martha Dawson)
  • 55 Marylebone Road 1873(?)-1874 (as William and Martha Dawson)
  • 10 Taunton Place 1874-1889 (as William and Martha Dawson)

Where Wilkie Lived 1.21 19 March 1999