Anna Lightwood's flat is one of a series of apartments located on Percy Street where Anna has resided since sometime before August 1903.
Description[]
Percy Street is near Tottenham Court Road in the modern-day London Borough of Camden and comprises several similar-looking flats made up of red bricks. Each house has sash windows, doors painted white, brick chimneys, a shallow set of steps, and a black iron fence.
Flat No. 30 is located on the second floor of one such walkup with a shabby entryway. A threadbare rug covers the ground and a worn out railing leads up the steps—top three of which are slippery.
The interior of the flat is decent. The walls of the drawing-room are papered with old Victorian wallpapers of shades of green and gold. The unmatched furniture haphazardly lies about but is impressive. There is a large sofa of deep golden velvet, winged armchairs with tweedy pillows, a Turkish rug, and a Tiffany lamp. Several knives with jeweled hilts are stuck into the mantel and Anna's stuffed pet snake Percival[1]—a love-gift from Virginia Woolf[2]—is kept on a table by the bedroom door.
The small kitchen has similarly patterned walls and a window that faces the brick exterior of the opposite building. Anna's bedroom is modest; there is a battered walnut desk, mostly covered with cigars and bottles of cologne, a japanned screen for changing behind, and a silk adorned bed.
History[]
Anna moved into the flat at some point of time after 1901 but before mid-1903. Her independence spiked gossip among the Shadowhunters of the London Enclave, however, her parents supported her decision. Over the years she had several affairs with women in this flat.
In 1903, during a picnic in Regent's Park Anna invited Cordelia Carstairs over for tea. When Cordelia arrived at Anna's flat the following day, she encountered a mundane woman named Evangeline crying on the steps. Anna had asked her to leave as she was getting married in a week to a baronet, however she would not accept this as she loved Anna. Cordelia was rather put out trying to comfort her but eventually, Evangeline's mother arrived and took her away. This situation was apparently not an uncommon occurrence.
Though Cordelia was initially nervous, she answered each of Anna's questions and rather enjoyed herself. Shortly after, Matthew Fairchild arrived and the trio left for Hell Ruelle.
A few days later, the Merry Thieves, Lucie Herondale and Cordelia arrived at her flat to ask for her help in seducing Hypatia Vex. Though she was not expecting company, she managed to put together a nice spread for her guests. Anna stalled and called Cordelia into her bedroom where she kept a list of her conquests to test some fabric swatches against her skin as she planned to buy Cordelia new dresses that better suited her. They rejoined the others and Anna agreed to their plan.[1]
In December 1903, a few weeks after James and Cordelia's wedding, she hosted a party at her flat. Matthew, Lucie, Eugenia Lightwood, and Filomena di Angelo were in attendance, along with some Downworlders and mundanes. Lucie left a while after things became a bit wild; while Eugenia spent the night. Filomena stayed till dawn and while returning to the Institute was attacked near Shoe Lane, by the serial killer responsible for the recent murders in London. This left both Anna and Lucie feeling responsible for her death, having thought in retrospect that they should have made sure she was accompanied.[3]
Known residents[]
Known guests:
Trivia[]
- Percy Street is well-known for the number of artists that have lived there.[4]
- Anna named her stuffed snake, Percival (Percy for short), after the street.[4]