Where the German king of Corsica is buried
From Wardour Street, steps lead up to a garden by the tower of St Anne’s Church. This former cemetery is a good two metres above road level, raised by the mortal remains of 60,000 people who were buried here in the 150 years before it closed in 1853 – 60,000 life stories, surely none of them more curious than that of Theodor von Neuhoff.
Born to a noble Westphalian family in 1694, Neuhoff was an agent for the kings of Spain and Sweden. He made a fortune in Paris through financial speculation, but had to flee from the city twice after running up gambling debts, and in 1736 became the leader of Corsican separatists who wanted to liberate their island from Genoese rule. They elected him their king, but the plan to invade Corsica failed. After further adventures, Neuhoff ended up in a debtors’ prison in London, allegedly gained his release by pledging the kingdom to his creditors, then subsisted until his death in 1756 on the charity of prominent persons. One of them, Horace Walpole, composed the lines that can still be read on the tower of St Anne’s:
Info
Address Wardour Street, near Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 6HT | Public Transport Leicester Square (Piccadilly, Northern Line) | Hours Garden Mon–Sun 10am until dusk | Tip Soho is a bittersweet area. Patisserie Valerie (44 Old Compton Street) has been contributing to its sweet side since 1926.
The grave, great teacher, to a level
brings Heroes and beggars, galley
slaves and kings. But Theodore this
moral learned ere dead: Fate poured its
lessons on his living head, Bestowed a
kingdom, but denied him bread.
Bombs destroyed the church in September 1940. The top of the surviving tower is an oddity that an architectural historian described as »two crossed beer barrels«. On open days, visitors can climb up to see the bell, dating from the foundation of the church in 1686, and the clock mechanism. From premises on Dean Street, the parish of St Anne’s does valuable work for drug addicts and the homeless. The old south entrance to the church on Shaftesbury Avenue is now a souvenir shop.
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