|
London Pubs Useless Facts |
 |
 |
 |
|
Written by J
|
|
Wednesday, 11 June 2008 07:37 |
- The Grand Union, Camden, Grand Junction Arms in Acton and the Great Northern in Hornsey are all named after canal or railway companies.
- Five stations on the London Underground system are named after pubs: Angel, Elephant & Castle, Manor House, Royal Oak and Swiss Cottage.
- Have a read of this lovely bit of history from British History Online about The World Turned Upside Down (145 Old Kent Road, London, SE1 5UT).
The oldest of the inns in the Old Kent Road, perhaps, is one near the Bricklayers' Arms Station, which rejoices in the somewhat singular sign of "The World Turned Upside Down." The house is supposed to be upwards of two hundred years old, and down to about 1840 its sign-board represented a man walking at the South Pole. It may have been first set up after the discovery of Australia, Van Diemen's Land, or Terra del Fuego; but Mr. Larwood, in his work on "Sign-boards," interprets it as "meaning a state of things the opposite of what is natural and usual: a conceit in which," he adds, "the artists of former ages took great delight, and which they represented by animals chasing men, horses riding in carriages, and similar conceits and pleasantries." The old sign-board was blown down many years ago; and in 1868 the house itself was in great part rebuilt and wholly new-fronted.
 - The Punch Tavern, (99 Fleet Street, City of London, EC4Y 1DE) was named after the magazine Punch which was conceived in a nearby pub. It's thought that the name was inspired by the Punch and Judy shows that were held in the Ludgate Circus area. The pub is decorated with tiles which feature the two characters, and Punch magazines used to decorate the space. The decor is a an eccentric mish-mash these days.
- The story of Dirty Dicks (202 Bishopsgate, City, London, EC2M 4NR) is the story of an English eccentric Nathaniel or Richard Bently upon whom it's said Dickens' Mrs Haversham is based. At one time it contained the belongings of a man who, after his bride-to-be died on the eve of their wedding, stopped washing himself or his clothes, and stopped cleaning up. The landord of the Old Port Wine Shop bought Dick's belongings after he died - these included dead cats which he had left to rot where they fell, and cobwebs from the now infamous city trader. The name of the establishment was changed accordingly. The grubby contents (including dead cat) are now to be seen behind glass in the pub which was completely rebuilt in 1870.
|
|
Last Updated ( Monday, 11 August 2008 17:07 )
|
