FLEET STREET
It’s also worth checking out the dining
room upstairs for the old advertising posters and Edgar Wallace library.
1pm The Old Bank of England, Fleet Street …… lunch with the Reuters Regulars
The clock on the front of the church was first erected there in 1671. It was the first public clock in London to have a minute hand.
It
chimes every quarter of an hour with the figures of giants (probably Gog and Magog) turning their heads and striking the bells
with their clubs.
The
statue (1586) of Queen Elizabeth 1 outside St Dunstan’s is believed to be the
only remaining statue of The Virgin Queen carved in her lifetime.
Dr Johnson’s House, Gough Square
The
house where great lexicographer Dr Samuel Johnson compiled his great Dictionary
of the English Language is open to the public.
His masterwork was published in two volumes
in 1755 and, until the publication of the Oxford English Dictionary 173 years
later, it was considered to be the definitive English dictionary.
A statue of Hodge, Dr Johnson’s cat,
stands in front of the house, sitting alongside oyster shells atop his master’s
dictionary. In those days oysters were
cheap and Johnson bought them for Hodge.
Some original entries from Dr Johnson’s dictionary ……
Distiller: One who makes and sells pernicious and
inflammatory spirits.
Jobbernowl: Loggerhead; blockhead.
Kickshaw: A dish so changed by the cookery that it can
scarcely be known.
Excise: a hateful tax levied upon commodities and adjudged not by
the common judges of property but wretches hired by those to whom excise is
paid.
Ruse: a French word neither elegant nor necessary.
Patron: a wretch who supports with insolence, and is paid with
flattery.
Pension: an allowance. In England it is generally understood to
mean pay given to a state hireling for
treason to his country.
Politian: one versed in the arts of government, a man of artifice;
one of deep contrivance.
Cynanthropy: A species of madness in which men have the qualities of
dogs.
Dull: Not exhilarating; not delightful: as, to make
dictionaries is dull work.
Fart: Wind from behind.
Mouth friend: One who professes friendship without intending it.
Slubberdegullion: A paltry, dirty, sorry wretch.
To worm: To deprive a dog of something, nobody knows what, under
his tongue, which is said to prevent his, nobody knows why, from running mad.
Lizard: as
“an animal resembling a serpent, with legs added to it.”
Oats: a grain, which in England is generally given to horses,
but in Scotland supports the people.
Lexicographer a harmless drudge who busies himself in tracing the
original and detailing the signification of words.
2.30pm Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, Fleet Street
But perhaps the Cheshire Cheese’s most celebrated wordsmith was Polly, a foul-mouthed African grey parrot. When, in 1926, Polly eventually kicked the bucket/ceased to be/passed on/was bereft of life/ran down the curtain and joined the choir invisible, etc, over 200 newspapers worldwide ran her obituary. Polly was lovingly stuffed and can still be found in the dining room. Also in the 1920s, patrons were offered free pipes and tobacco.
The Parrot Sketch … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnciwwsvNcc&t=39s
Our former colleague Derek Martin was the cameraman for the Michael Palin close-ups.
Telegraph and Express Buildings
St Bride’s
Church
St Brides Church is one of the oldest in
London and the ‘spiritual home of the media’. The present church was built by Sir
Christopher Wren after the Great Fire boasting, at 235 ft, his tallest spire.
The church was the inspiration for the traditional tiered wedding cake. The
original was made by local baker William Rich to impress his new bride.
Bombing in 1940 badly damaged the church,
although the spire remained intact. During the renovation the remains of a
Roman house was discovered. There are many dedications to journalists,
especially those persecuted, and a small museum in the crypt.
3.30pm The
Old Bell Tavern, Fleet Street
Established in 1678, The Old Bell is the
oldest pub in Fleet Street. It was built by Sir Christopher Wren for the stonemasons
working on St Bride’s.
5.30pm The Black
Friar, Queen Victoria Street
El Vino’s was founded in 1879. Women were not allowed in the bar until 1982, and then only
because of a court order; even then they weren’t allowed to wear
trousers.
At the time of my visit hospitality had only just reopened; I was their only lunchtime booking so it was a bit dead. The ribeye steak was good, but rather pricey. And I could have done without the two green peppers which brought tears to my eyes. I would guess they would be about 50,000 on the Scoville Heat Unit scale which is based on the number of drops of water to make the taste of chilli peppers undetectable.
September, 2023: Canadian speed-eater Mike Jack set a new world record for eating 50 Carolina Reaper peppers in six minutes and 49.2 seconds. He went on to eat a further 85 peppers, the second highest in one sitting, 25 less than Australian Greg 'Iron Guts' Barlow. Guinness World Records
The Tipperary, Fleet Street
Thursday, August 18
There’s a
historical exhibition of BBC TV graphics in Fleet Street …..
..... click here.
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