20/02/2026
The Vale Living was delighted to welcome a return visit from Emma Fleming of The Streatham Society. Her talk explored Valentine’s Day and the romantic exploits of local residents.
Emma briefly traced the history of Valentine’s Day which included a spell for you to capture a lover’s heart. She highlighted notable lovers who had lived or tied the knot in the area, including the 1970s wedding of actor, Hywell Bennet to Cathy McGowan (Ready, Steady, Go) and Roger Moore to his first wife, the ice skater, Doorn van Steyn.
The talk then shifted to ‘The Streatham Worthies’, a literary circle who frequented Streatham Park. Perhaps the best known names here were Samuel Johnson and Hester Thrale who maintained a 20-year ‘intimate friendship’ before falling out with each other.
Finally, an unsolved Victorian murder mystery known as The Charles Bravo Murder or the Murder at the Priory. This was a tangled tale of relationships and conspiracy. The recently-widowed heiress, Florence Ricardo, struck up a friendship with Jane Cannon Cox, a governess, and eventually invited her to become a live-in companion at The Priory, her house on Tooting Bec Common.
Whilst she was married to her first husband, Florence had an affair with Dr James Manby Gully. Later, in an attempt to regain her respectability, she married Charles Bravo. The marriage was not a happy one – and certainly not for Charles – who died from poisoning by antimony. The resultant detective case pointed the finger at Florence, Jane and even Dr Gully, but no one was ever convicted.
The talk and the mystery murder sparked lively discussion amongst our audience, The Valees, as they sat down to a delicious lunch. Everyone had their own theory as to ‘whodunit’ but they were no nearer to solving the mystery as the Victorians had been.
Our thanks to Emma for providing such a fascinating glimpse into the lives of some of our Streatham residents who have been lucky and sometimes less than lucky in love.
