Soho Square: De Quincey

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Sir Walter Besant, in The Fascination of London, published in 1903, concludes his survey of Soho Square with a mention of De Quincey:

The centre of the square, when first laid out, was occupied by a fountain surmounted by a statue of Charles II in armour, the work of Colley Cibber.

Clinch in "Soho and its Associations" mentions a document of 1748, still extant, in which are recorded the subscriptions made by the inhabitants to replace the wooden palisades round the square by iron railings.

This is headed by £300 from the Duke of Portland, and among the names are those of many titled and influential people, showing that fashion had not then migrated westward.

It was on the doorstep of a house in the square that De Quincey sank dying of exhaustion and starvation during his first novitiate of London life, and he was only saved by his faithful companion Ann.

Next: The Parish of St James', Piccadilly