Number 79 Pall Mall is the only one on the south side of the street that does not belong to the Crown Estate. The freehold was given to Nell Gwynn in 1676 and, in her opinion, not before time; ‘Madam Gwinn complains she has no house yett’, reported Sir Joseph Williamson in 1673.
She was an accomplished actress and also had time to be Charles II’s mistress, bearing him two sons, one of whom was created Duke of St Albans. Pepys describes her as “pretty, witty Nell”.
She had no delusions of grandeur. When her coachman was fighting with another man who had called her a whore, she broke up the fight, saying, “I am a whore. Find something else to fight about.”
The Globe theatre production of Nell Gwynn has transferred to the West End and I was tipped off by a reader that I should see it, so Robert and I went last night. It’s a bawdy comedy, in the best tradition of Shakespeare’s Globe, with the cast sharing some of the jokes with the audience. It is largely true, showing her real love for the King and his love for the country that he found so difficult to rule. The Civil War, the execution of Charles I and the rule of Oliver Cromwell had left scars that were hard to heal. However, when he died in 1685, asking his brother James II to “let not poor Nelly starve” she did not return to the stage, as she does in the play. James II paid her debts and gave her a pension of £1,500 a year. She did not have long to enjoy his largesse, dying in 1687, probably aged only thirty-seven.
Here is Kneller’s portrait of Charles II.
I quite agree with Christopher. If you want a very enjoyable undemanding evening see Nell Gwynn. It is well done and entertaining. A clever combination of comedy and pathos.