PADDINGTON POLLAKY, Private Detective
Bryan Kesselman
A biography of Victorian private investigator
Ignatius Paul 'Paddington' Pollaky
Publisher: The History Press — ISBN: 9780750959742
and a Gothic Opera based on events from his life
Ignatius Paul Pollaky was born in 1828 in Pressburg (now Bratislava).
He lived for most of his life in England and became one of the most
famous private detectives of the 19th century.
Pollaky's trademark (1874)
AUDI, VIDE, TACE. — Hear, see, be silent.
Pollaky's revolver, made in Belgium about 1865.
Pollaky's name engraved on the top of the revolver's handle.
"Sp.Con." stands for Special Constable.
Pollaky was made a Special Constable of the London Metropolitan Police in 1866, serving in an unpaid capacity during the Hyde Park Riots of June and July that year. (He later wrote that he became a Special Constable in 1867, mistaking the year.) He never worked officially for the police, and did not, as has been suggested elsewhere, lead a covert department to investigate foreign nationals.
Bryan Kesselman studied singing and piano at
the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. After appearing in
many productions of opera in the UK and abroad, he now
concentrates on composing and musical direction.
His second book The Madness of Captain Mills is now available.
A third book Going Up in the World will be available soon.
