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Scandal & Society · London, Greater London

Merton Place (Nelson & Emma Hamilton)

The villa Nelson bought so he could live openly with Emma Hamilton — while her husband Sir William completed the most famous ménage à trois of the age under the same roof. England's hero left Merton for Trafalgar in 1805; Emma, ruined by his death, lost the house within four years.

StatusDocumented history
Date1801–1805
The peopleHoratio Nelson, Emma Hamilton, Sir William Hamilton
The siteSite of Merton Place (demolished 1823), Merton High Street area
Coordinates51.41417, -0.19417 (confidence 2/5)

More stories at this spot

  • The 'tria juncta in uno' household
  • Horatia, the daughter passed off as an adopted orphan

Sources

Nearby on the map

Notable LandmarksThe Gateways ClubLondon, Greater London · England

Behind a green door on Bramerton Street, generations of London lesbians found their first taste of an out life; now an English Heritage blue plaque site.

Documented historyHot spotQueer HeritageOscar Wilde's house, 34 Tite StreetLondon, Greater London · England

Wilde's family home during his years of fame and his affair with Bosie — a ten-minute walk from the hotel where it all came crashing down.

Documented historyQueer HeritageThe Cadogan Hotel (arrest of Oscar Wilde)London, Greater London · England

Oscar Wilde was arrested in Room 118 on 6 April 1895, an event immortalised in Betjeman's poem 'The Arrest of Oscar Wilde at the Cadogan Hotel'. Royal mistress Lillie Langtry also lived on the site — a double dose of scandal.

Documented historyHot spot

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