Houses of Famous People from London's HistoryPilgrims, intent upon worshipping at the shrine of Shakespeare, journey in thousands year by year to Stratford-on-Avon, and, after offering up orisons in the chancel of its famous church, visit the house wherein he first saw the light of day, and there try to picture what manner of boy and man was the mighty genius who had lived within its walls. London has many such spots, sacred to a host of "immortals" whose tombs (in cathedral, church, or chapel) can likewise be visited, and whose dwelling-places in life still remain with us. To some of these I propose calling attention, and it seems to me that the most convenient way of arranging this section, is to give the names of the celebrities alphabetically.

The list necessarily constitutes a selection only, from a number too great to be dealt with here; and I would caution the enthusiastic "innocent abroad," that many of the houses here referred to in 1900 may have since been given up to the "housebreaker," leaving naught to recall the past, save the mere site; or, worse still, a pile of up-to-date buildings may utterly dispel all the romantic associations of the spot. Some of these historic tenements have tablets affixed outside, recording their associations with eminent people of the past