The Orpheus Society

“You know about Orpheus, of course,” the secretary said. “Greek fellow from the myths.”

The trio are curious about the Orpheus Society, and its mysterious lyre symbol, so are delighted to have been invited by Penelope Fittes to their St James’s HQ,

“at the end of an elegant cul-de-sac, a quiet street of stuccoed townhouses, where the brass plates on the pillars gleamed spotlessly”.

Lockwood is especially so, because it was where his parents gave their last, fateful lecture.

St James’s itself is a very upmarket neighbourhood of the West End, situated south of Piccadilly and north of the Mall (the street that leads up to Buckingham Palace). It is indeed full of stuccoed townhouses and other splendid old buildings. Now it’s mainly a shopping and galleries district; in previous decades, it was known as “Clubland”, for the many private members’ and gentlemen’s clubs for the wealthy that used to be situated there.

There’s no specific street given for the Orpheus Society, but it’s still fun to wander round spotting the many possible candidates for their HQ (like the one in our picture, on St James’s Square itself, the heart of the neighbourhood). As it’s in the heart of the West End, it’s very convenient to visit if you’re out and about seeing the sights.