Some 20 members of the Association were welcomed by architectural historian Alec Forshaw to his seventeenth century home in Great Ormond Street. Alec was for many years Conservation Officer and Urban Designer for Islington. Over a glass of wine, Alec gave us a fascinating tour and an insight into the history of the house since it was built 1686 and about its neighbourhood. He described how the streets of Bloomsbury were originally laid out for London’s professional classes and wealthy families, then fell slowly into disrepair. Alec bought number 49 in the 1990’s to restore it when the hospital put it up for auction. The house has been through many lives, even in the 1870’s as a café for the famous artists of the day. The mews behind the house once housed circus animals, including giraffes! The evening raised over £200 for SAVE Britain’s Heritage.
Alec Forshaw’s book about his home is called “An address in Bloomsbury”.