The apparent sleepiness of Hilldrop Crescent could be attributed to the fact that, by 1910, more and more Londoners were opting out of inner-city life to set up home in the suburbs. Even as the West End burgeoned in size and splendour, as many as seven hundred thousand people made the move out of the cramped and smoky metropolis in search of wider streets, fresher air and more modern conveniences. The outer ripples of this shift in population spread as far afield as the south coast of England.
