While much has changed in London during the past 150 years since the era of Dr. John Snow, many historical buildings and streets remain, with signs posted to guide interested visitors. Presented here are current photos of locations where John Snow lived or worked during his professional life from 1836 until his death in 1858. The maps with identified streets and houses are taken from the Old Ordnance Survey of 1870. 

JOHN SNOW'S HOMES

Snow's First London Home

In 1836 when John Snow at age 23 first came to London to attend for one year the Hunterian Medical School, he rented an inexpensive room at 11 Bateman's Buildings (see below).  He remained there for two years, during which time he completed the one-year Hunterian course and spent time as a doctor attending wards at the Westminster Hospital.

The view above is along Bateman's Buildings looking towards the South side of Soho Square. The buildings are different than when John Snow lived here, but the street is still the same.

Snow's Second London Home

At age 25 after becoming certified as a general medical practitioner, Snow moved in May, 1838 to 54 Frith Street (see below), were he lived for fourteen years until 1852. Nothing remains of the original building, now on restaurant row.
A blue plaque over the door describes the above site as the location of the prior home of Dr. John Snow, but is possibly mistaken. For details of  the address controversy, click here.  A more typical example of what Snow's  home looked like in 1838 is at 6 Frith Street (see below), built in 1718 and now part of the Hazlitt's hotel.  
Another view of both 54 Frith Street and 6 Frith Street is shown below, with Snow's likely home on the immediate left, Hazlitt's hotel across the intersection (now Bateman Street) and down one-half block on the right.  The trees at the end of Frith Street are in Soho Square. 

Snow's Third London Home

At age 39, John Snow moved again, but this time to a more affluent region of the city.  The Regent Street area to the west of Golden Square had become ultra-fashionable, offering both expensive items, and elegant homes for those who could afford them.  Dr. Snow was becoming increasingly prominent, both as a medical scientist and an anesthesiologist, and likely had a good income. He left his Frith Street home in 1852 and moved to 18 Sackville Street (see below), where he remained until his death in 1858.  Sackville Street runs perpendicular to Piccadilly and is one block west of Regent Street, near the Piccadilly Circus underground station. 
Within a year of his move, Dr. Snow was asked by Queen Victoria to administer chloroform at the birth of Prince Leopold, adding further to his fame and financial well-being.
There is no plaque at 18 Sackville Street to commemorate that Dr. Snow live there.  Instead, the site is now a clothing store which occupies 16-21 Sackville Street.  A more typical building representative of John Snow's earlier home is across the street at 32 Sackville Street, then occupied by Dr. James Yearsley (see to the right).

SQUARES (click to continue)

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