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The Terrace, Barnes

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The Terrace, Barnes

The Terrace, Barnes is a street in Barnes, London, with houses only on one side, all overlooking the River Thames. It forms part of the A3003, and runs west from its junction with Barnes High Street and Lonsdale Road to the east, where it becomes Mortlake High Street.

It runs along the west bend of the river and is lined with Georgian mansions, most of them dating from the 18th century and some from as early as 1720. Many of the houses are listed buildings, and there have been several notable residents.

In 1812, Louis-Alexandre de Launay, comte d'Antraigues and his wife, the celebrated soprano Madame Saint-Huberty, were murdered with a dirk and pistol at their country home at no 27, by an Italian servant whom they had dismissed. The servant then shot himself dead at the house. It has never been established whether the murder was committed from private or political motives. Some claimed that the motive behind the murders was simply the fact that d'Antraigues' wife treated her servants badly. Others saw more sinister political machinations at work, as the d'Antraigues were active spies, working for the Bourbons, Russia and Britain. When the house was sold in more recent times, its history was mentioned in the advertising materials, but not the double murder and suicide.

Notable people

Gustav Theodore Holst (1874–1934) lived at no 10 from 1908 to 1913. A commemorative blue plaque is fixed to the front of the house.

John Moody (c.1727–1812), actor, lived at no 11, from c.1780 until his death.

Dame Ninette de Valois (1898–2001), dancer, teacher, choreographer, and director of classical ballet, lived at no 14 from 1962 to 1982. A blue plaque is fixed to the front of the house.

No 26 collapsed "like a tower of cards" in November 2015 during building work. Pop singer Duffy had previously lived there. It had also been the home of Ebenezer Cobb Morley (1831–1924), sportsman, regarded as the father of The Football Association and modern football.

Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751–1816), playwright, poet, theatre owner and MP, took a house on The Terrace in 1810, when his son Tom was living nearby at Milbourne House.

Lieutenant-General Robert Ballard Long (1771–1825) retired to his house on The Terrace.

References

The Terrace, Barnes Wikipedia