The Half Moon

Built in 1730 Half Moon Street boasts a rich history. Its name? A former pub that once stood at its Piccadilly end. Imagine James Boswell biographer of Samuel Johnson lodging there in 1768. He stayed at the home of Mr Russell an upholsterer. Later Lola Montez mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria lived on the street in 1849. The street was known for its elegant lodgings and apartments. This continued even when Somerset Maugham visited in 1930. Half Moon Street attracted notable residents. World War I poet Siegfried Sassoon had lodgings at number 14. Sax Rohmer creator of Dr Fu Manchu also lived there. A blue plaque marks his former residence. Many listed buildings line the street. Parts of the Flemings Mayfair Hotel and Green Park Hotel are among them. Numbers 6 7 8 12a 14 15 24 and 25 are also listed buildings. Half Moon Street’s fame extends beyond its residents. It’s featured in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. Algernon’s home is set there. Sax Rohmer also used the street in his works. Bulldog Drummond another fictional character lived there. The street is also the London address of the fictional detective Paul Temple and his wife. It appears in Georgette Heyer’s Regency novels. The 1986 film Half Moon Street further cemented its place in popular culture. The main character lives in a flat on the street. Even in the Aubrey-Maturin novels Stephen Maturin and his wife Diana Villiers lived there at the start of The Ionian Mission. Half Moon Street’s history continues to fascinate. It’s a street steeped in history. A street where literary figures and fictional characters have left their mark. A street that continues to captivate.