Carlyle’s House

From 1834 until his death in 1881, the great Victorian essayist and historian Thomas Carlyle lived in this three-storey terrace house, which became London’s first literary shrine in 1895. Here in his soundproofed attic study he wrote his famous history of the French Revolution; legend has it that, when the manuscript was complete, a maid accidentally threw it on the fire, whereupon the diligent Thomas duly wrote it all again. While it’s not particularly large – you’ll also get to see the kitchen, dining room, drawing room and bedroom – this charming house, built in 1708, has been left much as it was when Carlyle was living here and Chopin, Tennyson and Dickens came to call. There’s a small garden at the rear.