Place Name
Until the arrival of Zulu Mews in 2010, this road held the title for many years as the last entry in the Geographers’ A to Z. Johan Joseph Zoffany (March 13, 1733 – November 11, 1810) was a German painter of Hungarian heritage, he first moved to England in 1758. Soon after arriving in London he met David Garrick, the leading actor-manager of his day. Garrick gave him both work and introduced him to high society. By 1764 he was mixing in court circles in part aided by King George III and his wife Queen Charlotte’s own German background. His conversation pieces, busy but intricate canvases became very fashionable for a while. When his popularity wained he went to India for seven years before returning to England and lived at Strand-on-the-Green in his later years. He is buried in Kew churchyard. A portrait of Abraham Vickery by him hangs in the Bank of England.
