Locations

Kensington
If you think of a London landmark, it is likely in the area of the city that our Kensington covers. This is, in part, due to it being the centre of wealth and politics for the entirety of Great Britain and Ireland. From Buckingham Palace to Westminster, you can find it all within the same few square miles. In a game such as this, focused on the upper class in Victorian Society, the estates of the wealthy and the venues that accommodate their lavish lifestyles have shifted the orbit of our game to this small chunk of clay.

It is here that most of our NPCs live and for those who have some form of employment, work. In-between the townhouses and museums lay the various apparatuses of the British State. While the most notable of these is the Palace of Westminster housing Parliament, a five-minute walk will get you to the HQ of the Metropolitan Police, still based in the original Scotland Yard.

Whitechapel
A place known by one figure alone, Whitechapel, is made infamous in less than a decade's time by Jack the Ripper. It is, for the most part, that classic image you have of the Victorian poor. Overcrowded, dirty, and with a population that at its best is classed as impoverished, Whitechapel is as close to a slum as you can get without calling it that.

It is in this district that crime flourishes. The Metropolitan Police are only able to put in a token effort for anything but the most serious of crimes, as they are undermanned and underfunded. Those who have influence at the Yard don't care overly much about what happens in the area, as long as it doesn't make the papers. It's not that there isn't light in the dark heart of Whitechapel, but it's led by noble souls with good intentions and little else.

Southwark
On the opposite side of the River Thames is Southwark. It and the various boroughs that border it make up the industrial heart of the city in our London, though you will find factories and workshops in nearly every corner. Still, the poor need somewhere to live and the rich need a place where they don’t have to see the factories of the poor. This is Southwark. In our time (2021) this industrial legacy can be found in two landmarks of their own, both Battersea Power Station and the current Tate Modern (the former Bankside Power Station) are located within Southwark, even if the former won’t be built for another fifty years.

The majority of those who reside here fit into the lower middle-class, with demographics not much different from Whitechapel. The only thing stopping it from turning into the dirty and dangerous streets of its neighbour district is the constant flow of industry and investment throughout the area.

Islington
The north of Islington and its surrounding boroughs were once some of the more fashionable places to live in London. However, as more of the urban sprawl is pushed further outward, even these places have fallen out of favour. Currently, Islington is known for where the Bohemians of London flock. Nice enough to live comfortable lives, but poor enough that rent isn’t going to force you back to the bank of mummy and daddy. With the British Library sitting next to the largest two train stations in the City, for most, this is their first glimpse at the city.

City of London
The City within a City, within a Country within a Country, the City of London is older than the country it is a part of. with this comes strange privileges and ownership of nearly every Landmark not built by the Government. It is here that most Landmarks not found in Kensington are located, St. Paul’s Cathedral being the best known. The City of London also houses the main campuses of the University of London, most notably it’s two rival Universities, King’s College & University College.

It is in this 3 square kilometre section of London that you will find a crossroads between the societies of London, though this is more the middle class competing with the dominance of the upper. It is in these streets that the tailors, several Society Clubs and most of all the best restaurants not in Kensington can be found, helped by a Council that treats businesses as its constituents.

Bank of England
The central bank of the United Kingdom, with its headquarters in the central financial district of the City of London. It gradually assumed the responsibilities of a central bank, including printing legal tender and guarding the nation’s gold reserves. However, in 1880, one can still do their personal banking here.

Culpepper's Clothier
Culpepper's Clothier is the chic-est clothesmaker this side of Milan. Celina Culpepper runs a tight ship and particularly dislikes window shoppers and nosy competitors poking around her shop. The shop has a limited selection that rotates seasonally, or whenever Celina feels the winds of fashion shifting.

Cyrenaic Club House
The Cyrenaic is a private members' only social club. The admission price is a manageable (for the lower upper and middle classes) £3 a year. Admission is granted by a vote of the Members (one no in ten excludes) following a personal recommendation by an existing member. The furnishings are tasteful, bookcases line up against all the walls, collections of books adorn the bookshelves. The bookshelves themselves have glass doors and are 15 feet tall. Given the large number of collected works and their pristine condition, it appears that the books are more for looking at than actually reading.

There is a chef and a bar assigned to the club so you could, if you really wanted, spend days at a time here. Importantly, it's not too luxurious. A proper aristocrat would not want to be seen here, as the club is a place more of the petit bourgeois and new money.

L'oeuf Murmurant
L'œuf Murmurant is a culinary port-of-call, boasting the freshest, most unique ingredients in London. When he isn't rubbing elbows with his distinguished clientele, Hector Van der Vorm is storming through the kitchen, making sure his recipes are "just so" and his presentation is second-to-none. It is truly a world-class establishment where the most adventurous of gourmands go to satiate their sophisticated palates.

Lotus Club House
The Lotus Club House resides in the ossuary beneath a church for the deaf. The upstairs neighbors don't make much noise, and don't mind the downstairs noise. Based on the varying symbols and languages on the walls, this ossuary has seen multiple tenants over the years.

Osier Tearoom
Sitting on Piccadilly, a couple of blocks from Green Park, the Osier Tearoom is as opulent as the dishes it serves. With black and white marble flooring and the finest upholstered seats spread around a centerpiece of a chandelier, the Osier is attended to by the great and the good of London. While tables are booked months in advance, there always seems to be one free if you are willing to wait a few minutes. For a bite of their cakes, omlettes, or afternoon tea special, the wait is more than worth it.

University of London
The two universities in London at the time, certainly the only ones that matter. UCL is the radical, egalitarian, secular institution on Gower Street. King's College is much more Anglican and old money. Quite naturally there is a rivalry between the two. This is best evidenced by the time Strand Poly (ie King's College) stole Jeremy Bentham's head, so UCL stole the bollocks off the lion statue at King's in return. It's a good natured rivalry but it can get nasty.

There is always a place to get involved in the rivalry, like helping someone from King's steal Jeremy Bentham's head or helping UCL recover it.