56 moments

1. Birth at Motihari

   1903-06-25 · Motihari, Bihar, India

   

   Eric Arthur Blair, later George Orwell, was born in Motihari in the Bengal Presidency of British India. Coordinates represent Motihari town.

2. Childhood home in Henley-on-Thames

   1904-01-01 · Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom

   After returning from India with his mother and sister, Orwell was brought up at Henley-on-Thames. The source gives the year of settlement, not a precise date.

3. Boarder at St Cyprian's School

   1911-09-01 · St Cyprian's School, Eastbourne, East Sussex, England, United Kingdom

   Orwell arrived at St Cyprian's School in Eastbourne and boarded there for the following five years. Coordinates represent the former school area in Eastbourne.

4. Spring term at Wellington College

   1917-01-01 · Wellington College, Crowthorne, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom

   Blair took up a place at Wellington College for the 1917 spring term before transferring to Eton. The surrounding text establishes this as January 1917.

5. King's Scholar at Eton

   1917-05-01 · Eton College, Eton, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom

   Blair became a King's Scholar at Eton, where he remained until December 1921. He remained at Eton until December 1921.

6. Preparation for Burma police examination

   1921-12-01 · Southwold, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom

   After leaving Eton, Blair travelled to Southwold, where he prepared for the Imperial Police entrance examination. The destination was his family's home at 40 Stradbroke Road, Southwold.

7. Arrival at Rangoon

   1922-01-01 · Yangon, Myanmar

   Blair arrived at Rangoon after sailing from England to begin service with the Indian Imperial Police in Burma. The source places his departure in October 1922 and says he arrived a month later.

8. Police training at Mandalay

   1922-01-01 · Mandalay, Myanmar

   Following his arrival at Rangoon, Blair travelled to the police training school at Mandalay. The source supports 1922 but not a more precise date.

9. Posting at Maymyo

   1923-01-01 · Pyin Oo Lwin, Myanmar

   During his Burma police service, Blair had a short posting at the hill station of Maymyo. The source does not give an exact date; 1923 is used as the interval between his 1922 appointment and early-1924 Myaungmya posting.

10. Frontier outpost at Myaungmya

    1924-01-01 · Myaungmya, Ayeyarwady Region, Myanmar

    Blair was posted to the frontier outpost of Myaungmya in the Irrawaddy Delta as an imperial police officer. The source dates the posting to the beginning of 1924.

11. Police posting at Syriam

    1924-01-01 · Thanlyin, Yangon Region, Myanmar

    At the end of 1924, Blair was posted to Syriam, near Rangoon. Syriam is now generally known as Thanlyin.

12. Sub-divisional police officer at Twante

    1924-01-01 · Twante, Yangon Region, Myanmar

    Blair served as a sub-divisional police officer at Twante in the Irrawaddy Delta. The source does not give a separate precise date; it places Twante between Myaungmya and the end-of-1924 Syriam posting.

13. Posting at Insein

    1925-09-01 · Insein, Yangon, Myanmar

    Blair went to Insein, site of Insein Prison, during his Burma police service. Coordinates represent Insein township.

14. Assignment at Katha

    1926-01-01 · Katha, Sagaing Region, Myanmar

    At the end of 1926, Blair was assigned to Katha in Upper Burma; he contracted dengue fever there in 1927. The source gives only end-of-year precision.

15. Move to Moulmein

    1926-04-01 · Mawlamyine, Mon State, Myanmar

    Blair moved to Moulmein, where his maternal grandmother lived. Moulmein is now generally known as Mawlamyine.

16. Lodgings on Portobello Road

    1927-01-01 · Portobello Road, Notting Hill, London, England, United Kingdom

    After returning to England, Blair moved into rooms on Portobello Road in London. The source supplies year-end rather than an exact moving date.

17. Holiday in Cornwall

    1927-09-01 · Cornwall, England, United Kingdom

    While on leave from Burma, Blair holidayed with his family in Cornwall and reconsidered his future. Coordinates are a representative point for Cornwall.

18. Residence on Rue du Pot-de-Fer

    1928-01-01 · Rue du Pot-de-Fer, Paris, France

    Blair moved to Paris and lived on the Rue du Pot-de-Fer in the working-class Fifth Arrondissement. The source gives early-1928 precision.

19. Hospitalization at Hopital Cochin

    1929-02-01 · Hopital Cochin, Paris, France

    Blair was seriously ill in Paris and taken to Hôpital Cochin, experiences later used in his essay 'How the Poor Die.'

20. Stay at Bramley

    1930-01-01 · Bramley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom

    Blair stayed briefly at Bramley, Leeds, with his sister Marjorie and her husband Humphrey Dakin. The source gives early-1930 precision.

21. Detention at Bethnal Green police station

    1931-01-01 · Bethnal Green, London, England, United Kingdom

    Blair deliberately sought arrest to experience Christmas in prison; police held him for two days at Bethnal Green police station before he returned to Southwold. The source places the episode at the end of 1931 but gives no exact day.

22. Hop-field research in Kent

    1931-08-01 · Kent, England, United Kingdom

    During his investigations of poverty, Blair worked in Kent hop fields from August to September 1931. The immediately following text specifies that he worked in Kent hop fields; coordinates are representative for Kent.

23. Teacher at The Hawthorns High School

    1932-04-01 · Hayes, London, England, United Kingdom

    Blair became a teacher at The Hawthorns High School in Hayes, west London. Coordinates represent Hayes town centre; the former school site is not specified in the source.

24. Teacher at Frays College

    1933-01-01 · Uxbridge, London, England, United Kingdom

    In mid-1933 Blair left The Hawthorns to teach at Frays College in Uxbridge. The source identifies Frays College as being in Uxbridge.

25. Bookseller at Booklovers' Corner

    1934-01-01 · Pond Street, Hampstead, London, England, United Kingdom

    Blair worked as a part-time assistant in Booklovers' Corner, a second-hand bookshop in Hampstead, and lived at Warwick Mansions in Pond Street. The preceding biography places the job after October 1934; exact starting month is not given.

26. Residence at Lawford Road

    1935-08-01 · 50 Lawford Road, Kentish Town, London, England, United Kingdom

    Blair moved into a shared flat at 50 Lawford Road in Kentish Town. The surrounding text establishes the year as 1935.

27. Arrival in Manchester for northern investigation

    1936-01-31 · Manchester, England, United Kingdom

    Orwell began his northern England investigation by public transport and on foot, arriving in Manchester and staying in a common lodging-house. Coordinates represent central Manchester.

28. Research stay in Wigan

    1936-02-01 · Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, United Kingdom

    Orwell spent February in Wigan, staying in lodgings over a tripe shop while investigating working-class conditions and visiting Bryn Hall coal mine. The source identifies the lodgings as being in Wigan.

29. South Yorkshire investigation

    1936-03-01 · Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom

    During March, Orwell stayed in south Yorkshire and spent time in Sheffield and Barnsley for research later used in The Road to Wigan Pier. This card uses Sheffield as one of two explicitly documented South Yorkshire locations.

30. Residence at The Stores, Wallington

    1936-04-02 · The Stores, Wallington, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom

    Orwell took over the tenancy of the cottage called The Stores at Wallington, where he wrote and gardened until leaving for Spain and later returned. Coordinates represent Wallington village; the cottage address is generally identified as 2 Kits Lane.

31. Adelphi Summer School talk

    1936-08-04 · Langham, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom

    Orwell delivered 'An Outsider Sees the Distressed Areas' at the Adelphi Summer School in Langham. The surrounding text establishes the year as 1936.

32. Arrival in Barcelona

    1936-12-01 · Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

    A few days after leaving for Spain, Orwell was in Barcelona, where he met ILP representative John McNair and joined the POUM. The source supports late December 1936 but not an exact arrival day.

33. Journey through Paris en route to Spain

    1936-12-01 · Paris, France

    On his journey to join the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War, Orwell dined with Henry Miller in Paris. The source qualifies the departure date as approximate.

34. Evacuation through Sietamo and treatment at Lleida

    1937-01-01 · Hospital Santa Maria de Lleida, Lleida, Catalonia, Spain

    After being wounded in the throat on the Aragon Front, Orwell was carried to Sietamo and sent by ambulance to hospital in Lleida. The source does not state a precise date in this passage; the event occurred during the 1937 Spanish campaign.

35. Militia position at Alcubierre

    1937-01-01 · Alcubierre, Huesca, Aragon, Spain

    After time at Barcelona's Lenin Barracks, Orwell served with the POUM militia at Alcubierre on the Aragon Front.

36. Return to Barcelona during May Days

    1937-04-01 · Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

    Orwell returned to Barcelona in April 1937 and was caught up in the factional fighting of the Barcelona May Days.

37. Convalescence at Greenwich

    1937-06-01 · 24 Crooms Hill, Greenwich, London, England, United Kingdom

    After returning from Spain, Orwell stayed at the O'Shaughnessy home in Greenwich. The cited residence is identified in the article caption as 24 Crooms Hill.

38. Treatment at Preston Hall Sanatorium

    1938-03-01 · Preston Hall Sanatorium, Aylesford, Kent, England, United Kingdom

    As his health worsened, Orwell was admitted to Preston Hall Sanatorium at Aylesford and remained there until September. The source says that by March 1938 his health had deteriorated and that he stayed until September.

39. Recovery residence at Marrakesh

    1938-09-01 · Marrakesh, Morocco

    Orwell and Eileen travelled through Gibraltar and Tangier and arrived at Marrakesh, where they rented a villa during a half-year Moroccan stay. The source does not give a precise arrival day.

40. Wartime base at Lansdowne Terrace

    1940-01-01 · Lansdowne Terrace, Bloomsbury, London, England, United Kingdom

    During 1940, Orwell was based at Lansdowne Terrace in Bloomsbury while writing for Horizon. The article labels this presence as beginning in 1940 but does not give a street number.

41. Flat at Dorset Chambers

    1940-05-01 · Dorset Chambers, Chagford Street, Marylebone, London, England, United Kingdom

    The Orwells leased a flat at Dorset Chambers on Chagford Street in Marylebone during the Dunkirk evacuation period. The surrounding text establishes the year as 1940.

42. Flat at Langford Court

    1941-03-01 · Langford Court, St John's Wood, London, England, United Kingdom

    Orwell and Eileen moved to a seventh-floor flat at Langford Court in St John's Wood. The surrounding text establishes the year as 1941.

43. Flat at Mortimer Crescent

    1942-01-01 · 10a Mortimer Crescent, Maida Vale, London, England, United Kingdom

    

    In mid-1942, Orwell and Eileen moved to 10a Mortimer Crescent in Maida Vale/Kilburn. The source identifies the area as Maida Vale/Kilburn.

44. Home at Canonbury Square

    1944-09-01 · 27b Canonbury Square, Islington, London, England, United Kingdom

    By September 1944, Orwell and Eileen had established their home at 27b Canonbury Square in Islington, where their adopted son joined them.

45. War-correspondent visit to Cologne

    1945-01-01 · Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

    While reporting in continental Europe after liberation, Orwell travelled to Cologne. The source identifies 1945 but provides no more precise date for individual cities.

46. War-correspondent visit to Stuttgart

    1945-01-01 · Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany

    While reporting in continental Europe after liberation, Orwell travelled to Stuttgart. The source identifies 1945 but provides no more precise date for individual cities.

47. War correspondent in liberated Paris

    1945-02-01 · Paris, France

    By February 1945, Orwell had gone to liberated Paris as a war correspondent for The Observer. The source says this had occurred by February 1945; it does not provide an exact arrival date.

48. London coverage of the general election

    1945-07-01 · London, England, United Kingdom

    Orwell returned to London at the beginning of July 1945 to cover the general election. The source gives beginning-of-July precision.

49. First visit to Jura

    1945-09-01 · Isle of Jura, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, United Kingdom

    In September 1945, Orwell spent a fortnight on the Isle of Jura and identified it as an escape from London literary life. The surrounding text places this in the year after Eileen's 1945 death.

50. Move to Barnhill farmhouse

    1946-05-22 · Barnhill, Isle of Jura, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, United Kingdom

    Orwell left with his young son to live at Barnhill, an abandoned farmhouse on Jura, where he worked on Nineteen Eighty-Four.

51. Return to Jura for Nineteen Eighty-Four

    1947-04-10 · Barnhill, Isle of Jura, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, United Kingdom

    Orwell left London for Jura, returning to Barnhill and working on Nineteen Eighty-Four.

52. Corryvreckan boating expedition

    1947-08-19 · Gulf of Corryvreckan, Inner Hebrides, Scotland, United Kingdom

    While living on Jura, Orwell led a dangerous boating expedition while attempting to cross the Gulf of Corryvreckan. The source identifies the attempted crossing of the Gulf of Corryvreckan; coordinates are a representative point in the gulf.

53. Tuberculosis treatment at Hairmyres Hospital

    1947-12-01 · Hairmyres Hospital, East Kilbride, Scotland, United Kingdom

    A week before Christmas 1947, Orwell was at Hairmyres Hospital, where tuberculosis was diagnosed. Coordinates represent the current Hairmyres Hospital site in East Kilbride.

54. Final hospitalization at University College Hospital

    1949-01-01 · University College Hospital, London, England, United Kingdom

    As his health declined, Orwell was moved to University College Hospital in London, where he married Sonia Brownell and spent his final months. The source places the removal shortly after his September 1949 engagement announcement.

55. Sanatorium at Cranham

    1949-01-01 · Cranham, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom

    In a very weak condition, Orwell set off for a sanatorium at Cranham in Gloucestershire. Coordinates represent Cranham village; the sanatorium consisted of remote wooden chalets nearby.

56. Death at University College Hospital

    1950-01-21 · University College Hospital, London, England, United Kingdom

    Orwell died at University College Hospital in London after a pulmonary-artery rupture caused by complications of tuberculosis. The article identifies University College Hospital as the hospital where Orwell died.