If you were looking for something a little different to do with the family on a wet Sunday afternoon in the 1700's, you could do worse than take a trip to Bethlehem hospital, known as 'Bedlam' (located on the site where the Imperial War Museum now stands), a huge and well-known lunatic asylum. On arrival you would enter the vast entrance hall to be confronted by Cibber's huge statues of two loonies, Melancholy and Madness, reputedly modelled on two of the inmates. From there you would progress to the main gallery, where all the most seriously disturbed residents would be chained to the walls, or in barred cells, for you to gawp and laugh at.
Any inmates that got a little out of hand would be whipped like animals. In 1770 the authorities seemed to notice that the inmates didn't like this treatment so much, but they didn't stop it as they were making too much dosh through contributions. Instead they decided to make it a ticket only affair. It makes our current behaviour concerning the mentally ill seem almost rather humane!
More tales, tips and trivia like this on a fabulous bike tour of london: http://www.biketouroflondon.com/
Thursday 23 September 2010
Friday 3 September 2010
Dog & Duck - 18, Bateman Street, Soho
The Dog and Duck pub was built in 1718 and so little changed since the 19th century that the Victorian Society have applauded it as a rare if not unique survival of a small Victorian town pub. It’s now a Grade II listed building. The pub’s name recalls the rather cruel sport of duck hunting, which had been popular when this was a far more rural area.
The front bar is tiled to dado level with plain and ornamental tiles, some depicting a dog holding a duck in its mouth. Above this, large mirrors in mahogany frames, advertise mineral water and cigarettes. These are separated by columns of decorative tiles.
Author George Orwell came to the Dog and Dick to celebrate the fact that the American Book-of-the-Month Club had selected his latest novel Animal Farm. In fact pop upstairs to the George Orwell room (he used to drink here). One of the better places in Soho for a pint.
The front bar is tiled to dado level with plain and ornamental tiles, some depicting a dog holding a duck in its mouth. Above this, large mirrors in mahogany frames, advertise mineral water and cigarettes. These are separated by columns of decorative tiles.
Author George Orwell came to the Dog and Dick to celebrate the fact that the American Book-of-the-Month Club had selected his latest novel Animal Farm. In fact pop upstairs to the George Orwell room (he used to drink here). One of the better places in Soho for a pint.
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