George & Vulture, Literary London, By Pen Lister. October 12, 2017. Categories: Literary London, Learning Journeys. Tags: learning-point, London
This post is intended for use with the Literary London walking tour and smart learning activities.
The current dining house is on the site of a tavern and rooming house that features in Dickens’s first novel The Pickwick Papers, serialized in 1836-7, commissioned following the success of Sketches by Boz. Note the bust of Dickens through the restaurant window.
Much of The Pickwick Papers takes place elsewhere and Mr Pickwick and his companions travel from inn to inn but The George and Vulture is often mentioned in the work.
Mr Pickwick is the victim of a frivolous court case and Dickens had earlier worked as a court reporter at Doctor’s Commons, which specialised in probate and divorce, and as a reporter in parliament. His hatred of corruption, obfuscation and delay stems from this time. As a reporter he was also tasked with crossing London from one end to the other, walking for hours through London’s teeming streets. His ability to observe and note down the peculiarities of people from all walks of life was helped by this early work.
“The morning of the thirteenth of February was a busy time for Mr Samuel Weller, who was perpetually engaged in travelling from the George and Vulture to Mr Pecker’s chambers and back again, from and between the hours of nine o’clock in the morning and two in the afternoon, both inclusive.”
“What is Nathaniel’s address, Mr Pickwick?” “The George and Vulture, at present,” replied that gentleman. “George and Vulture. Where is that?” “Sun Court, Cornhill”
On the way to St Mary Woolnoth look out for a plaque commemorating the location of Edward Lloyd’s coffee house on no. 16 Lombard Street, the forerunner of Lloyd’s of London. Note the golden Gresham Grasshopper above Martins Bank, founded by Thomas Gresham in 1563, and as you walk west, Pepys’s favourite coffee house, Elford’s, in Exchange Alley, now Change Alley, to your right. Also on Exchange Alley were Jonathan’s and Garraway’s coffee houses where shares trading took place. A fire in 1748 destroyed The George and Vulture, Garraway’s, Jonathan’s and the Jerusalem coffee houses. At the end of Lombard St we come to the church of St Mary Woolnoth (1716-1727), designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor and mentioned in The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot in 1922.
Aspects of this place to think about
- The role of coaching inns and taverns in a society dependent on the horse
- Life in Victorian London – what might the location you’re standing in now have looked like? What sounds, smells and sights would you have seen?
- What forms of observation are peculiar to your work? What aspects of society do you see at work that others might not see?
- How much of your time do you spend in the streets? How different was this in Dickens’s time?
- Women in coffee houses, pubs and taverns
Content available at the location, about the place or area
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Img by Francis Hopkinson Smith (1838-1915) – http://www.reusableart.com/d/2046-3/buildings-04.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25169185
George & Vulture Resources
By Pen Lister October 12, 2017
The Pubs of Old London
Explore other pubs from the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Great images. http://spitalfieldslife.com/2012/10/02/the-pubs-of-old-london/
Dickens’ London (Wikipedia)
Excellent reference sources plus summary of Dickens’ London settings. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dickens%27_London
Sketches by ‘Boz’ - Charles Dickens
A collection of short pieces, originally published in various newspapers and other periodicals between 1833 and 1836. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sketches_by_Boz
The George & Vulture in Charles Dickens’s Pickwick Papers
The George & Vulture in Charles Dickens’s Pickwick Papers http://www.oldandsold.com/articles18/charles-dickens-4.shtml
Vintage Photos of Charles Dickens’ London
Photographs and etchings of locations associated with the life of Dickens https://www.buzzfeed.com/alanwhite/18-vintage-photos-of-charles-dickens-london
Get Drunk With Charles Dickens
Time Out piece on the pub haunts of DIckens, including the George and Vulture, and Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese http://now-here-this.timeout.com/2011/12/22/get-drunk-with-charles-dickens/
A Map of Dickens’ London
Interactive map of many areas of interest with further information. http://charlesdickenspage.com/dickens_london_map.html
