 London has a ton of historic neighbourhoods with creative flair, but none has such an important cultural value as the iconic Bloomsbury. It is a district that for over 100 years has been graced by some of the most forward-thinking artists and visionary writers. Located right at the centre of the city, pinned between King's Cross station and the exciting Soho area, it is that part of London which is packed with everything from literary highlights to famous houses. Everyone from Virginia Woolf to T.S. Eliot has called this London neighbourhood their home. This is the place where Dickens' child chimney sweeper sweeps. This is where poet Sylvia Platt and Tedduke's Marys and George Orwell introduced us to the big brother. This area of Bloomsbury was famously the home of the Bloomsbury group aka the Bloomsbury set which was a group of writers, artists, philosophers and intellectuals. Members of this group included the famous writers Virginia Woolf, Leonard Woolf, the famous artist Duncan Grant and the economist John Keyes. By the way, I would want you to comment below names of all other members of Bloomsbury group that you remember. So I would also like to say that this district of London that we know today as Bloomsbury today gave its name to the Bloomsbury group. This is the place where these group of artists who became known as the Bloomsbury group met for the first time and formed this group. It is because a number of buildings in this area were once the home of these different members of Bloomsbury group. The house behind me is worth noticing. This was where the first evening of the discussion of the Bloomsbury group was held. It was famously said that the Bloomsbury set lived in squares and loved in triangles. If you happen to come to Bloomsbury and have limited time and money, you can still have a great day out by simply walking through these squares. Now these squares are nothing but what we call Charahe in Hindi. And here in Bloomsbury, every square has its unique character and charm. Many of the Bloomsbury garden squares were spots where the Bloomsbury group members frequently met. While I am taking you around Bloomsbury, look out for the blue plaques on the walls which indicate where these writers lived and worked. These famous blue plaques commemorate the homes or workplaces of famous and notable writers from history. The blue plaques that you see on the buildings throughout London are a part of a project that started in 1866 to link the buildings of the present with the people of the past. You can find out where these great writers of past were born, lived and where they worked. And looking at the blue plaques. These blue plaques that project were started in 1866 and it is believed that it is the oldest of its kind in the entire world. There are over 950 blue plaques across London. So let's begin our journey to explore the lives of writers, artists and scientists who were honored by the blue plaques in this beautiful area of Bloomsbury. I am going to give you a walking tour of this area of Bloomsbury while stopping at some cool literary places of interest along the way. The first stop of our tour is at the Tavistog Square Gardens. In the middle of the square which is actually a peace garden stands the statue of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi, as we all know, was a strong advocate of non-violence. He spent some time in London in 1890s and possibly lived in this area and that's why we have his statue here. The square also contains the bust of Virginia Woolf. She remains one of the key figures of the 20th century British literature. Her fame is often associated with the Bloomsbury area where she resided at different points in her life. It is one of these layers that she met her husband, Leonard Woolf and started the famous Hogwarts Press. As you walk right across the square, you will reach house number 29. Now this house once belonged to Virginia Woolf and her sister, Vanessa Bell. Now it is marked by a blue plaque. It was in this house that Woolf began writing a first novel The Voyage Out. You get to see a two-in-one blue plaque at this address because playwright George Bernard Shaw used to live here before Virginia Woolf. Yes, yes, you heard it right. One of the most famous Irish playwrights of early 20th century, G.B. Shaw lived at this address in mid-1880s. He is best known for his play Pygmalion which was later recreated into a popular musical called My Fair Lady. Can you tell me the names of all other plays written by G.B. Shaw? Comment below right now. While wandering through Bloomsbury streets, you will stumble upon Faber & Faber's Office, a place where T.S. Eliot once worked as an editor. Now this independent publishing house has also issued some of the most well-known literature such as Lord of the Flies by William Goldings and works of various other famous writers like Philip Larkin, Tom Stoopard and Harold Pinter. Nestled in the heart of Bloomsbury, what you see behind me is an old-fashioned Victorian pub named Lamb Pub. It was built in 1720s and was once the meeting place of the Bloomsbury group. Charles Dickens was a frequent visitor of this pub but what makes this pub even more special was that it was the birthplace of one of the most famous romances in English literature. I'll tell you. In the early days of their relationship, Ted Hughes and Sylvia Platt, the two very famous poets, were spotted meeting up at this pub. What you see behind me is the headquarters of the British Medical Association. This site was also one of the homes of Charles Dickens. He lived here from 1851 to 1860 and it was here that he wrote some of the famous works like Bleak House, Little Dorrit, Hard Times, Tale of Two Cities and the part of the famous novel Great Expectations. You will also find a hospital called the Great Ormond Street Hospital in the Bloomsbury neighborhood. Now, this was the first children's hospital in the English-speaking world, founded in 1852 and you know what? Our beloved Charles Dickens wrote about this hospital and even gave fundraising readings for this. Not just home of famous writers, but Bloomsbury is the place where two very important literary movements were born. The first one is the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a group of artistic rebels which was founded in 1848 at No. 7 Gower Street in Bloomsbury. Its central figure was the painter and the poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti and other members included 19th century English painters, poets and critics who reacted against the Victorian materialism. The second group is associated with Roger Frye, who used to live in Bloomsbury and was a scholar of the old masters. He became an advocate of the development of French painting. It was he who coined the term post-impressionism and was seen as the first figure to raise awareness of the modern art in Britain. The celebrated 19th century scientist, best known for his work Origin of Species and Mr Survival of the Fritters lived in a house on this side. Charles Darwin's former home is now appropriately a UCL college biological sciences building situated at the 110 Gower Street, Bloomsbury. It is said that Charles Darwin lived here from 1838 to 1842 while he was writing the famous work Origin of Species. George Orwell also lived in Bloomsbury and the Senate House that you see behind me of University of London was the inspiration for Orwell's Ministry of Truth in his famous novel 1984. At the time he wrote this book, this building was the tallest in London, approximately 210 feet high. Fun fact, this building was built in 1932 during World War II and was used as the Ministry of Information. The last literary genius we are going to cover in today's vlog is Orsgerwein. Though he was born in Dublin in 1854 he moved to London in 1878 determined to achieve stardom. This stunning terrace building at 31 Russell Square is where Orsgerwein spent his final night in London before moving to Paris never to return to England again. It is well said that few other cities can compete with London when it comes to its bookish reputation and few London neighbourhoods can keep the spirit of literature as alive as Bloomsbury. This walking tour of Bloomsbury made me realise how this place happens to be the hub of famous literary activities making it unexpected, uncommon and unforgettable for every literature lover. Someone has rightly said, London specialises in hiding the best of itself and we can see that happening nowhere more so than in Bloomsbury. On that positive and happy note, I am going to take your leave, that's it from my site for this video lecture. I'll meet you very soon in the next video lecture. Till the time we meet next, happy learning, keep loving literature and stay tuned to arpitaakarwa.com.