Lawrence once described London as the place ‘where I would choose to live exclusively, if I have to live in only one place’. For a superb account of all that London meant to Lawrence, it is recommended to read Jeremy Wilson’s article, Lawrence in London, which appeared in the Society’s Journal in Spring 2002.

It is impossible to assign a single motive to his affection for London. In 1919, Lawrence acquired the use of an attic room in Barton Street, Westminster, which became his London base for several years.

From this refuge he was able to visit London’s art galleries and museums, and to develop his liking for classical music with visits to the promenade concerts. Living in London gave him access to good book shops, and to his widening circle of literary and artistic friends. London was a place he could not keep away from during his service years and it was a succession of powerful motorcycles which allowed him to make many visits to London from his often distant postings. Plymouth is 230 miles from London but in a letter to Sir Hugh Trenchard he claimed that he could do the journey in 4 hours and 44 minutes – much the same as estimates for travel times today!

14 Barton Street

Just as an isolated forester’s cottage became Lawrence’s retreat in Dorset, so an attic room at 14 Barton Street, Westminster, provided him with a refuge from the crowds in London. Here Lawrence was allowed to stay when in London by the distinguished architect Sir Herbert Baker, who leased the house from Westminster School to use as an office.

A Walk Through Lawrence’s London

During Lawrence’s hurried visits to London throughout his service years, he became adept at cramming in visits to friends, printers, galleries and the theatre, writes Jeremy Wilson in Lawrence in London. But possibly his greatest pleasure was to go walking about the city on his own.

British Museum

As an Oxford schoolboy with a wakening interest in archaeology, Lawrence had scoured building sites for fragments of mediaeval pottery which he gave to the Ashmolean Museum; but it was with that most venerable London institution, the British Museum, that he began his archaeological career excavating the Neo-Hittite city of Carchemish.

Today, the museum displays artefacts from Carchemish, and holds a collection of Lawrence’s reports, notebooks and letters which may be consulted by appointment. Keep an eye on its website for news of talks and exhibitions with a link to Lawrence.

Palestine Exploration Fund

During the first months of 1914, Lawrence took part in a survey of the Sinai peninsula carried out under the auspices of the Palestine Exploration Fund as cover for a British military mapping operation in the area. His joint report with Leonard Woolley was published by the PEF as The Wilderness of Zin.

Archive material held by the PEF includes some of Lawrence’s original paperwork and photographs from the survey. Its website contains information on its regular lecture series and how to arrange a visit to its headquarters in Hinde Mews.

The War Office and Colonial Office

After being commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in October 1914, Lawrence was employed in the Geographical Section of the War Office to produce a map of Sinai and a guide to the region based on his peacetime travels. He spent two months working in the old War Office building at the junction of Whitehall and Horse Guards Avenue, before being posted to Military Headquarters in Cairo.

In 1921, it was as Colonel Lawrence that he became an adviser on Arab affairs to the Colonial Office, now the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the corner of Whitehall and Downing Street. Though he wrote with some amusement to Lady Kathleen Scott, who was sculpting him at the time, of having to ‘go to the office’, he soon departed for the Middle East.

4 Henrietta Street

In 1922, Lawrence left the Colonial Office and began making negotiations to enlist in the ranks of the RAF. At 10.30am on August 30 1922, it was arranged for him to turn up at the RAF recruiting office in Covent Garden to sign on under the name John Hume Ross. At 4 Henrietta Street, one can find ‘that little door’ where he paced up and down, trying to find the courage to go inside. It would be one of the major turning points in his life.

‘God, this is awful. Hesitating for two hours up and down a filthy street, lips and hands and knees tremulously out of control, my heart pounding in fear of that little door through which I must go to join up.’
– T. E. Lawrence, The Mint

Lawrence’s legacy to London

Today, Lawrence’s legacy to London lies in the rich seam of artistic and archival material lodged in its great institutions and galleries.

The collections housed in the British Museum, Palestine Exploration Fund and National Portrait Gallery have already been described.
Below is a brief guide to some other collections held in London. To check what material is on display at any time, or to obtain information on accessing collections, it is advised to contact the institutions.

St Paul’s Cathedral

Here, in the crypt at St Paul’s, may be seen a cast of the bronze bust of Lawrence sculpted by his friend Eric Kennington in 1926. It is
interesting to see that on a postcard of tombs and memorials sold in the cathedral bookshop, Lawrence is placed alongside Florence Nightingale, John Donne, Lord Nelson, Ivor Novello, the Duke of Wellington and Sir Christopher Wren, who designed the cathedral.

Tate Gallery

The Tate Gallery holds Augustus John’s famous ‘wrathful’ portrait of Lawrence in Arab dress, as well as bronze busts of Lawrence by Francis Derwent Wood and Eric Kennington. Reflecting Lawrence’s role as a collector of art, it also has a bronze bust of Sir Osbert Sitwell by Frank Dobson, which was owned by Lawrence.

British Library

The British Library has 1922 and 1926 manuscripts of Seven Pillars of Wisdom, manuscripts of The Mint, Lawrence’s letters to the Shaws and his wartime diaries. The Hejaz stamps designed by Lawrence are also held here.

Imperial War Museum

The Imperial War Museum holds the Lee-Enfield rifle given to Lawrence by Prince Feisal, his robe and headdress, and wartime photographic collection. Artworks include James McBey’s portrait and a bronze bust by Francis Derwent Wood. Anyone hoping to see Lawrence’s 1932 SS 100 Brough Superior motorcycle should note that it is no longer on display here.

Public Record Office

The Public Record Office holds Lawrence’s military papers and documents relating to his wartime career and subsequent service in the ranks.

Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives

The Liddell Hart Centre at King’s College London holds the military papers of a number of Lawrence’s contemporaries, including
General Allenby.

Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon

The RAF Museum holds some Lawrence letters. On display in the museum is Seaplane Tender 206, one of the 200 class developed by Lawrence and built by the British Power Boat Company.

London