Matthay in Hampstead

TOBIAS AND JESSIE MATTHAY left their home on Brighton Road in Purley in 1901 to move to Hampstead. From England's Piano Sage, pp. 157-58: "Jessie provides little insight into their motivation but . . . she does mention that as the Victorian era drew to a close and a new century approached, their 'quiet little Surrey village ... was to wake up and think about suburban tram lines,' so perhaps the rural peace they had enjoyed was rapidly disappearing. Hampstead was scarcely open country at the time, but it was one of the last boroughs in greater London to be served by horse-drawn buses, and the Matthays' new home, a handsome residence at 21 Arkwright Road, was situated in a quiet neighborhood. The area had also become a haven for London's artists and intellectuals, and Jessie recalled that poets, painters, and novelists could often be found 'grouped under the friendly spire of the old parish church.'"

TODAY the London County Council has placed a commemorative plaque
on Matthay's former residence.