Stoker lived in Chelsea for many years, in both Cheyne Walk and St Leonard’s Terrace. His experiences in Chelsea included attempting to save a man from drowning in a suicide off the Chelsea Steamer, fraternising with the likes of painter James McNeill Whistler and writer Oscar Wilde, not to mention his enduring friendship with the popular novelist, Thomas Hall Caine – the ‘Hommy-Beg’ to whom Dracula is dedicated.

Matthew will explore how Chelsea, its streets and residents, influenced Stoker’s novels, as well as the impact the area has exerted on Matthew’s own novel.