Park Street, London, home of Sophie de Tott

When Sophie de Tott came to England in 1802, she and other French refugees got favourable treatment since Great Britain was at war with Napoleonic France. The public was sympathetic, and there were subscriptions raised in their favour. She got commissions as a portrait painter and gave musical evenings.


While she was not well off, by 1809 she was able to afford lodgings in Park Street, a pleasant part of Mayfair close to Park Lane. One of her letters to Elizabeth Craven is dated from Park Street.

The house Sophie lived in has been modernised, but this nearby house a few doors away is preserved in the original Georgian style. Built in the 1720s it had five stories, including a basement where the kitchen was situated. 

It would be wonderful to have a blue plaque attached to one of the houses in this street, to commemorate the fact that Sophie de Tott lived here. Painter, novelist, musician and secret agent, she surely merits it and should be celebrated.



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