News about Sarah Siddons

Spring has arrived. The sap is rising. And I am a jumbled mess of regrets. In recent months, I've been hosting Rosebud, in which I talk to people about their early memories. I talk to them about their youth love lives, their adolescent adventures, the fun and games they played in their 20s. This week, as the distinguished guests arrive, I am finding myself increasingly dissatisfied that they have lived lives of high anticipation even though I haven't lived at all. They've done stuff that I never dared do.

Capo di Monte (pictured) on Windmill Hill dates back to 1762 and was home to actress Sarah Siddons, art historian Kenneth Clark, and journalist Marghanita Laski. Lady Macbeth and her portrayal in Shakespeare's tragedies earned her the title of "the Queen of Drury Lane" in the late 18th century. She lived at the house from 1804 to 1805, during which she inserted a 'S' above its main entrance. The Grade II listed house, which last sold for £6.235 million in 2021, is thought to be a combination of two cottages. It has a stucco façade and a back covered in red brick and painted weatherboard.

Mean-spirited critics chastised actress Sarah Siddons' portrait, which was created at the height of her fame by Sir Thomas Lawrence for a work on view at the Royal Academy in 1797, who said it was "overly flattering" and made her seem much younger than her 42 years. The painting is now on sale for £12,000. (Pictured: The painting of Sarah Siddons currently up for sale)