Contact Nicolas Granger-Taylor 11 Brierley Road, London SW12 9ND Tel: +44 (0) 20 8675 1952 Mobile: +44 (0) 7791 029 770 email

With the possibility of shared passion and enthusiasm, with the opportunity for meeting new people and old friends, you are warmly invited to embark upon:   The London Adventure     thelondonadventure.co.uk

What is the London Adventure? The name for this informal literary club has been taken from Machen's third volume of autobiography, The London Adventure or The Art Of Wandering. The intention for the club is for members to participate in regular meetings at London locations connected with obscure or neglected authors. Other literary personages, such as illustrators and publishers, could also be subjects of meetings. Special attention could be given to anniversaries - births, deaths, publications, and other significant occasions. Members are requested to take on the leadership of future meetings, guiding the club around places related to their chosen subject. Other participants are encouraged to contribute by sharing their thoughts and questions, and with readings from works by or about the subject. These shall not be guided tours so much as inquiries, explorations and celebrations. All walks are free. For further information, comments, suggestions and contributions, please contact: Nicolas Granger-Taylor, 35 Grafton Way, London W1T 5DB, England. Home: 020 7387 7942. Mobile: 07791029770. To email please click here

EXPLORATIONS INTO HIDDEN LITERARY LONDON   CALENDAR OF WALKS 2008   Sunday 6th July (3pm) . . . EDWARD BURNE-JONES by Antony Clayton   Saturday 12th July (3pm) . . . PATRICK HAMILTON by Marc Glendening & Nigel Jones   Saturday 19th July (1pm) . . . W.B. YEATS by Niall McDevitt   Sunday, 7th Sep. (3pm) . . . AUBREY BEARDSLEY by Alexia Lazou   All walks are free After each walk there will be a collection for voluntary donations to The London Adventure Children’s Fund       Also on this page:   FORTHCOMING   PREVIOUS WALKS   THE LONDON ADVENTURE CHILDREN'S FUND   Alexia Lazou leading the Beardsley walk.     EDWARD BURNE-JONES Magnificent Dreamer Presented by Antony Clayton Sunday 6th July, 2008, 3pm   “I mean by a picture a beautiful romantic dream of something that never was, never will be – in a light better than any light that ever shone – in a land no one can define or remember, only desire – and the forms divinely beautiful.”   Meet at the main entrance to Kensington Central Library in Hornton Street, W8, opposite the Town Hall (nearest Underground station, High Street Kensington). Look for the man holding a Burne-Jones catalogue, who will conduct you on a walk that will stop at two of Burne-Jones’s houses in Kensington, pay homage to the artist’s colony in Melbury Road – where many of his friends lived – and conclude at the site of his house and studio, The Grange.   Edward Burne-Jones (1833-98) was born in Birmingham but spent his most productive years as an artist in London, where he worked with William Morris and was an associate of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Steeped in literary subject matter, the otherworldly and dreamlike quality of his art was enhanced by the melancholy appearance of his androgynous figures, often sensuously languorous and contemplative. Through his paintings and drawings he articulated, more than any other Victorian painter, the nostalgia for an older England, the vital mystical and psychic power of Arthurian legend and the intensity of his anti-materialist philosophy. Burne-Jones believed that from the urbanised, industrialised, degraded land a new more beautiful and spiritual world would emerge represented symbolically by King Arthur awakening from his centuries-long slumber in Avalon.   The walk will last around two hours, and a suitable hostelry will be visited afterwards.   Antony Clayton is the author of Subterranean City, London’s Coffee Houses, Decadent London and The Folklore of London (to be published in the summer of 2008).   back to top of page   * * *   Danger and Madness in Earls Court THE SINISTER WORLD OF PATRICK HAMILTON Presented by Nigel Jones (Hamilton's biographer) and Marc Glendening In association with the Sohemian Society Saturday 12th July 2008, 3pm   Meet in front of Earls Court Underground Station (Earls Court Road exit), where two representatives of Mr Hamilton will await you: look out for gentlemen wearing tweed jackets, hats, old school ties, sharply pressed trousers and Oxford brogues. Follow them to enter the menacing world of Patrick Hamilton (1904-1962) and his most famous novel, Hangover Square.   Like all Hamilton's books, Hangover Square offers an incisive and perversely humorous insight into the British class structure and culture of the 1930s and 40s. You will visit venues associated with the book and Hamilton's own life, including the scene of his near fatal engagement with a fast travelling motor vehicle that was to hasten his decline into depression and heavy drinking.   The walk will last approximately 2 hours, concluding at The King's Head, 17 Hogarth Place.   Recommended reading: Patrick Hamilton, Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky: A London Trilogy (1935); Hangover Square (1941); The Slaves of Solitude (1947); The West Pier (1951); Mr Stimpson and Mr Gorse (1953) Nigel Jones, Through a Glass Darkly (1992) Sean French, Patrick Hamilton (1993)   Marc Glendening is a political organizer and is co-founder and secretary of the Sohemian Society, which celebrates the cultural heritage of Soho (www.sohemians.com).   back to top of page   * * *     THE W.B. YEATS WALK Presented by Niall McDevitt Saturday 19th July 2008, 1pm   Meeting at Woburn Walk, WC1, near Euston Station   Niall McDevitt leads a walk from Yeats's Woburn Walk flat to The Olde Cheshire Cheese pub, a trip through Pre-Raphaelitism/Symbolism/Decadance/Modernism, meeting such associates as Olivia Shakespear, Rabindranath Tagore, Maud Gonne, Oscar Wilde, Lionel Johnson, Bernard Shaw, Ezra Pound and many others.   Recommended reading: Roy Foster, W.B. Yeats: The Apprentice Mage, and W.B. Yeats: The Arch Poet W.B. Yeats, The Grey Rock (first poem in the volume Responsibilities)   back to top of page   * * *     AUBREY BEARDSLEY Pierrot of Pimlico and Piccadilly Presented by Alexia Lazou Sunday 7th September 2008, 3pm   “London is adorably bright and busy.”   Meet outside Pimlico Tube Station, Rampayne Street Exit. There you will recognise the Beardsley Woman carrying a Yellow Book under her arm. Accompany her to various places associated with Aubrey in Pimlico. Then, after “A Short Ride in an Omnibus”, reconvene at Green Park Underground Station to plunge into the publishing domain of Lane and Smithers. The walk will last approximately three hours and will conclude for refreshment at a nearby public house.   Recommended reading: Aubrey Beardsley: A Biography by Matthew Sturgis, Harper Collins 1998 Aubrey Beardsley by Stephen Calloway, V&A Publications 1998 Aubrey Beardsley (drawings) by Brian Reade, Antique Collectors’ Club 1987 The Letters of Aubrey Beardsley edited by Henry Maas, JL Duncan & WG Good, Cassell & Co. Ltd. 1970 Under The Hill, or The Story of Venus and Tannhäuser by Aubrey Beardsley, various editions   Alexia Lazou is a Beardsley enthusiast who interprets his life and work through many forms, from tours to costumes to biscuits.   The walk is free. Afterwards there will be a collection for donations for The London Adventure Children’s Fund, which this year is supporting Kids Company: http://kidsco.org.uk/ (Reg. charity 1068298)   back to top of page   Forthcoming   THE LONDON ADVENTURE A volume of essays on London literary figures by London Adventure walk leaders   AUBREY BEARDSLEY by Alexia Lazou ALEISTER CROWLEY by Mark Pilkington CHARLES FORT by John Rimmer ARTHUR MACHEN by Nicolas Granger-Taylor EDWARD HERON-ALLEN by Joan Navarre BARON CORVO by Bryan Welch ARTHUR SYMONS by Antony Clayton MICHAEL ARLEN by Mark Valentine SAX ROHMER by Antony Clayton PATRICK HAMILTON by Marc Glendening WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS by Bill Redwood   back to top of page   Previous London Adventure walks:   JOHN MINTON October 21, 2007     PATRICK HAMILTON – A BRIGHTON ADVENTURE September 16, 2007     JAMES McNEILL WHISTLER July 14, 2007   ARTHUR RIMBAUD June 23, 2007   NORTH SOHO 999 June 9th, 2007   DION FORTUNE May 12, 2007   DAVID JONES October 14, 2006   PATRICK HAMILTON September 24, 2006   BARON CORVO September 2, 2006   CHARLES FORT July 8, 2006   WALTER SICKERT May 27, 2006   FLORENCE FARR April 29, 2006   ARTHUR SYMONS April 8, 2006   PATRICK HAMILTON'S DANGEROUS LONDON Sunday 23 October 2005, 3pm Please use this link to read a review of the Patrick Hamilton Walk   WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS Saturday 10 September 2005, 3pm Please use this link to read a review of the William Burroughs Walk   BRAM STOKER Saturday 13 August 2005, 6pm   THE LEGEND AND LITERATURE OF BLEEDING HEART YARD Wednesday 13 July 2005, 7.30pm   THE REVD MONTAGUE SUMMERS: Demonologist Saturday 25 June 2005, 3pm   JULIAN MACLAREN-ROSS Saturday 21 May 2005, 3pm   ARTHUR MACHEN: The Sage of St John's Wood Saturday 23 April 2005, 3pm   MICHAEL ARLEN CAVALIER OF THE STREETS Saturday 23rd October 2004  Please use this link to read a review of the Michael Arlen Walk   SAX ROHMER'S WEST END Saturday 2nd October 2004  Please use this link to read a review of the Sax Rohmer Walk   THE MYSTERIES OF THE HILL: ARTHUR MACHEN AND FRIENDS IN WEST LONDON Saturday 3 July 2004    EDWARD HERON-ALLEN, F.R.S. Saturday 12 June 2004   NATSUME SOSEKI: THE TWO MOST MISERABLE YEARS OF HIS LIFE Saturday 29 May 2004   WOMEN OF THE GOLDEN DAWN Saturday 24 April 2004   ALEISTER CROWLEY AND THE GOLDEN DAWN Saturday 22nd November 2003  Please use this link to read a review of the Crowley Walk   M.P. SHIEL : LONDON PALACES OF THE KING IN EXILE Saturday 8th November 2003  Please use this link to read a review of the M.P. Shiel Walk   ERNEST DOWSON: A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION Saturday 2nd August 2003  Please use this link to read a review of the Dowson Walk   AUBREY BEARDSLEY: PIERROT OF PIMLICO AND PICCADILLY Sunday 29th June 2003 Please use this link to read a review of the Beardsley Walk   THE HEART OF DRACULA'S CITY Sunday 18th May 2003 Please use this link to read a review of the Dracula Walk   ARTHUR MACHEN IN THE 1890's Saturday 5th April 2003    Please use this link to read a review of the Machen in the 1890's Walk back to top of page      At the end of each walk there will be a collection of voluntary donations to The London Adventure Children's Fund IMPORTANT FUND NEWS!   THE LONDON ADVENTURE RUSSIAN ORPHANS FUND: A REPORT   THE LONDON ADVENTURE CHILDREN’S FUND: AN INTRODUCTION   Dear London Adventurer I would like to draw your attention to the change of name of the Fund; formerly The London Adventure Russian Orphans Fund, it is now The London Adventure Children’s Fund. For more on this, please see below for Drika Makariev’s Fund Report and my introduction to the Children’s Fund; below that you will find information on Kids Company, the charity organisation we will be donating to this year. With all best wishes, Nicolas Granger-Taylor     The London Adventure Russian Orphans Fund Report by Drika Makariev April 2007 Thank you to everyone who has contributed to The London Adventure Russian Orphans Fund. In the past year your donations have raised $1,449! Last month my husband went to Moscow and has identified an orphanage in Serpuhov, a small city three hours outside of Moscow that would greatly benefit from the donation. Friends of ours will visit the orphanage and decide what to purchase based on its specific needs. When this process is complete I will provide an itemization to the Fund detailing the expenditures of the donation. Last year’s donation of $1,200 was given to an orphanage in Reutov, a town on the outskirts of Moscow,* and was contributed toward the restoration of the orphanage. Our original agreement with the orphanage was that the donation was to be spent on books, toys, and games for the children. This past year the orphanage was undergoing renovations, and when renovation costs exceeded the expected projections, the orphanage director had to weigh the benefits of spending the donation on toys and books against eliminating many of the reconstruction plans. While not conforming to our expectations, I think her decision put the donation money to good use. The children have directly benefited from your contributions and are immensely pleased with their new arrangements. Before the renovation the orphanage was rather gloomy with evident spots and cracks in the ceilings and walls; there was one sleeping room each for boys and for girls. Now the orphanage is much brighter and the children sleep in suites consisting of several bedrooms each. The suites create more intimate, “family” environments and privacy for the children. Research shows that children do much better with this arrangement and institutions are encouraged to make this change if possible. I’m very glad that this orphanage was able to update their dilapidated building. As trips to Russia for my husband and I are becoming less frequent and predictable, I find that I am not able to be as active in the distribution of the funds as I would like and feel that it is best to step down as overseas representative. In addition, the Russian government is now requiring that donations from foreign individuals or organizations be reported to and monitored by the State. This makes it much more difficult to give money to Russian orphanages and less likely that orphanage directors will want to accept donations from foreigners because of the extensive paperwork and hassle that it involves. I have truly treasured the opportunity to distribute the funds to the orphanages and be part of the children’s lives. This experience has impressed upon me that little acts can make a great difference in instilling in children the feeling that they are cared for and valued. With best wishes, Drika Makariev Ph.D. student, University of California, Davis   * Social Rehabilitation Center "Children's Home", 8 Gagarin St., Reutov, Moscow Region back to top of page back to Fund news   THE LONDON ADVENTURE CHILDREN’S FUND Secretary: Nicolas Granger-Taylor Treasurer: Juliet Morel As Drika Makariev has stated in her report, the money raised recently by The London Adventure Russian Orphans Fund will go towards the purchase of books, games, toys and art materials for the children of the Serpuhov orphanage outside Moscow. A further report on the expenditure of this donation will be delivered in due course. For their invaluable work with the Fund these past two years, we would like to take this opportunity to warmly thank Drika and her husband, Oleg Makariev, and their friends and family. In light of the restrictive and uncertain factor of the increased interference of the Russian authorities with regard to foreign charitable aid as mentioned in Drika’s report, and after much consideration, we have chosen to discontinue our donations to Russia for the time being. The Fund has been renamed “The London Adventure Children’s Fund”, and we will direct future donations to organisa­tions which benefit children primarily, but not necessarily exclusively, in the London area. This year the organisation we have chosen to support is Kids Company, based in Borough, South London. Below you will find some basic information on Kids Company, taken from their publicity handout. Juliet & I recently visited the Kids Company Urban Academy and were deeply inspired and moved, not least by the energy and dedication of the staff and the enthusi­astic involvement of the children themselves. We will be giving one large donation after the walks season ends in October (Kids Company have asked for a single donation for the year, which will be easier to manage & to allocate). The money will be given as a “restricted” donation: this means it will only be spent on those areas we specify – the supply of books, games, toys and art materials. We feel privileged for the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of these children, and hope that London Adventure members will support the Children’s Fund with as much generosity as they did the Russian Orphan’s Fund. With all best wishes, Nicolas Granger-Taylor   KIDS COMPANY Kids Company supports children with severe behavioural, emotional and social difficulties resulting from significant childhood trauma and/or neglect. Many of them are living in chronic deprivation due to extreme poverty and little or no support from the adults in their family. They often suffer from abuse, mental health problems, substance misuse and homelessness. Risk factors identified by Government for vulnerable children and young people include poverty, involvement or potential involvement in crime, low educational attainment and threats to mental health. On average, Kids Company children presented with an astounding fourteen risk factors per child. These children’s typical experience of adults, whether they are parents, carers or professionals, is of being failed, rejected or harmed by them. Kids Company reaches these children through word-of-mouth on the streets. We aim to restore their trust and give them an environment where they begin the healing process through an informal but carefully designed support system that includes psychotherapy, education, art and sports, and hot meals. We also provide practical support such as accompanying them to youth courts, finding accommodation, advocacy with mental health teams or even in some instances supporting a lone teenage girl during the birth of her child. We are currently supporting around 661 children at the Arches II, our drop-in and education centre in South London, 100 children in our post-sixteen educational institute, the Urban Academy, and a further 10,000 children in 30 schools across London. In April 2005, the Treasury gave us a grant of approximately £3.4million over three years from “The Invest To Save Budget”. This provides us with half our running costs for three years and we will receive it if we can match it with our own fundraising from the private sector. Further information can be found on our website: www.kidsco.org.uk, by e-mailing us at info@kidsco.org.uk or by calling us on 0845 644 6838.   Kids Company is a registered charity no. 1068298 and company no. 3442083. Registered office: Sherborne House, 34 Decima Street, London SE1 4QQ. Contact: Nicolas Granger-Taylor 11 Brierley Road, London SW12 9ND Tel: +44 (0) 20 8675 1952 Mobile: +44 (0) 7791 029 770 email    back to top of page back to Fund news   ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS For their assistance and encouragement in the creation of The London Adventure and the inaugural walk, Nicolas Granger-Taylor would like to express his gratitude to Mark Samuels, Roger Dobson, Ray Russell, Mark Valentine, Jeremy Cantwell, John Ricketts, Jon Preece, Adrian Eckersley, Sue Phillips, Steven Halliwell, Peter Granger-Taylor, Hero Granger-Taylor, Jacqueline Granger-Taylor, the British Museum, the Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, and Janet Pollock. To email please click here    back to top of page       page updated 6th May 2007