The Priory at Balham was the site of the still unsolved 1876 poisoning of Charles Bravo. Shorn of its 10 acres of gardens, and with some additions, it continues to overlook Tooting Bec Common and remains "a perfect example in miniature of early 19th-century Gothic". The room where Bravo died is the right-hand bay window, second floor. Where the one-story addition to the left of the main block stands, in 1876 there was a greenhouse. The two-story bay windows were topped with crenelations. Charles Bravo vomited from his window, and antimony was found in the stomach contents "recovered from the leads", probably the roof of the conservatory that was then beneath the window.
Photos via Flikr by "The Real Aziraphale" by Dave Cross via Flikr. Lower floor windows on right side, where I could find no photos, are placed as per diagram in Yseult Bridges' "How Charles Bravo Died", #1800s #19th_century #Balham #Charles_Bravo #crime #crime_scene #Gothic #Gothic_Revival #murder #poisoning #press_crimes #The_Priory #Tooting_Bec #unsolved_crimes
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