Raymond Biswanger Slide Collection
William Makepeace Thackeray: 1852
Kensington Square, London
William Makepeace Thackeray published The History of Henry Esmond in 1852. Henry Esmond is an illegitimate orphan and cousin to the Viscount and Lady of Castlewood. He is raised by the Castlewood family, and becomes a colonel in the service of Queen Anne of England.Henry Esmond falls in love with both Lady Rachel Castlewood and Beatrix, her daughter. He joins the ultimately unsuccessful military campaign to reinstate James Stuart to the throne. He eventually marries Rachel Castlewood and moves to Virginia.
The mansion at 7 Kensington Square in London served as the model for Lady Rachel Castlewood's house. In the early 18th century, it was the residence of the Marquis of Powis. The mansion had stables and cottages attached to it.
7 Kensington Square, London, Residence of “Lady Castlewood” in William Makepeace Thackeray's Henry Esmond [7 April 1983]
