Samuel Johnson, the writer and wit, lived and worked here in the middle of the 18th century, compiling his great ‘Dictionary of the English Language’ in the Garret. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.
Writer H. G. Wells once lived here. Wells is best known for his science fiction writings, including 'The War of the Worlds', 'The Time Machine', and 'The Invisible Man'. He also founded Diabetes UK.
Writer Graham Greene once lived here. His works include 'Brighton Rock' & 'The Quiet American'. William Golding called Greene "The ultimate chronicler of 20th-century man's consciousness & anxiety".
This was the home of Eric Arthur Blair, known to most by his pen name George Orwell. An English novelist and journalist, Orwell's most famous works include ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’, and ‘Animal Farm’.
Holly Lodge was once home to novelist Mary Anne Evans (better known as George Eliot). Evans was one of the leading writers of the Victorian era, & wrote such novels as ‘Middlemarch’, & ‘Silas Marner’.
This was once the home of author Evelyn Waugh. His best-known works include his early satires 'Decline and Fall' and 'A Handful of Dust', and his novel 'Brideshead Revisited'.
This was once home to Enid Blyton, children's author. Blyton wrote some of the UK's most enduring and well-known children's literary series, including ‘The Famous Five’, ‘Secret Seven’, & ‘Noddy’.
Elizabeth Gaskell was born here. Writer of famed Victoria novels, such as ‘North and South’ & ‘Carnford’, her works offer insight into the lives of all society, especially women & the very poor.
This building housed legendary crime writer, Agatha Christie. In addition to her 66 detective novels, involving Miss Marple & Poirot, she also wrote the world's longest-running play, ‘The Mousetrap’.
Writer Aldous Huxley lived here. Best known for his novels including ‘Brave New World’, Huxley was also known for his advocacy of psychedelic drugs. Huxley died the same day as JFK was assassinated.
This house was once the home of Mary Shelley, the novelist. Shelley is most famous for her novel, 'Frankenstein' which has been widely read and adapted for stage and screen.
This building once housed W. S. Gilbert, the dramatist and poet best known for the fourteen comic operas (known as ‘the Savoy operas’) produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan.
Author Kenneth Grahame lived here. Grahame's most famous book, 'The Wind in the Willows' is still enjoyed by children (and adults) to this day.
Writer Rudyard Kipling lived here between 1889 & 1891. Kipling is remembered for his children's stories, such as 'The Jungle Book' & 'Just So Stories'. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907.
Hogarth House was once the home of Virginia Woolf, the English writer, & one of the foremost modernists of the 20th century. Woolf and her husband founded their publisher, Hogarth Press in the house.
This building was home to English poet, writer and soldier, Siegfried Sassoon. Decorated for bravery on the Western Front, he became one of the leading poets of the First World War.
Karl Marx, the philosopher, writer of ‘The Communist Manifesto’, & co-founder of Marxism lived here. He had a huge impact on history in his development of the socialist movement.
Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, lived here. Fleming's creation has appeared in film 25 times, portrayed by 7 actors, and is the second highest grossing film series behind Harry Potter.
This was once the home of American-born writer Henry James. James was regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. His works include ‘Daisy Miller’, & ‘The Turn of the Screw’.
The author James Joyce lived here in 1931. Joyce is considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century. He is perhaps best known for 'Ulysses'.
Novelist Charles Dickens lived here. One of the most prominent novelists in history, Dickens' notable works include ‘Oliver Twist’, ‘A Christmas Carol’, ‘Bleak House’, & ‘Great Expectations’
