Adelphi, London

Adelphi (Greek: adelphoi, "brothers") is a district of London, England in the City of Westminster.^[1] The small district includes the streets of Adelphi Terrace, Robert Street and John Adam Street.^[1]

Adelphi Buildings

The district is named after the Adelphi Buildings, a block of 24 unified neoclassical terrace houses occupying the land between The Strand and the River Thames in the parish of St Martin in the Fields. They were built between 1768–72, by the Adam brothers (John, Robert, James and William Adam). The ruins of Durham House on the site were demolished for their construction. The nearby Adelphi Theatre is named after the Adelphi Buildings. Robert Adam was influenced by his extensive visit to Diocletian's Palace in Dalmatia, and applied some of this influence to the design of the neoclassical Adelphi Buildings.^[2][3] The Adelphi Buildings were demolished in the early-1930s and replaced with the New Adelphi, a monumental Art Deco building designed by the firm of Collcutt & Hamp.

Notable residents

• Edward Litt Laman Blanchard, writer, lived in Adelphi Terrace from 1876 to 1889
• David Garrick lived for his final seven years, and died in 1779, in the centre house of the buildings.^[4]
• Thomas Monro, Physician to George III and art patron, owned a house in Adelphi Terrace.
• Richard D'Oyly Carte, Victorian impresario.
• Sir J M Barrie (1860-1937), playwright and novelist, author of Peter Pan, at Adelphi Terrace
• John Galsworthy, novelist, author of The Forsyte Saga

In literature

• Fictional detective Gideon Fell, created by John Dickson Carr, lived at no. 1, Adelphi Terrace.
• David Copperfield, created by Charles Dickens, lived in Adelphi.

References

Further reading

• Brereton, Austin. The literary history of the Adelphi and its neighbourhood (New York: Duffield, 1909). Illustrated.