Saturday, 23 February 2013

New Compton Street, London.

New Compton Street was named after Henry Compton who raised funds for a local parish church, eventually dedicated as St Anne's Church in 1686. Once linked to Old Compton Street via Little Compton Street which has been lost at Charing Cross Road at its junction with Old Compton Street.

Lowry refers to the street in Chapter 6 of his novel Under The Volcano; "Hugh had started writing songs at school and before he was seventeen, at about the same time he lost his innocence, also after several attempts, two numbers of his were accepted by the Jewish firm of Lazarus Bolowski and Sons in New Compton Street, London. (Pg. 157) and "Whatever prompted the ungenerous act did not prevent his somehow finding his way that night to New Compton Street and Bolowski's shabby little shop. Closed now and dark: but Hugh could almost be certain those were his songs in the window." (Pg. 172)

As Chris Ackerley points out; "An address mildly inconsistent" (Malcolm Lowry Project) as Lowry later refers to the shop being at New Compton Street.  Lowry may have known New Compton Street due to Worton David Ltd, the publishers of one of his songs, being based at No. 6. (See photograph of building on Collage)



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