An inn of ill repute

'The George' is, of course, the preferred Meetup of R3OK, Sydney Grew.

R3OK - The George - Meetup Wednesday 16th January

I should perhaps confess that I have drunk at the George on numerous occasions, but it is not one of my favourite pubs in London.



Fancy a pint? George Inn, Borough

For the record, the nearby Lord Clyde is far better!

Fancy a pint? Lord Clyde

William Shakespeare probably did drink, on occasion, at the George; the Globe Theatre is only a short distance away. It is easier to prove that kleines c drank there than Shakespeare, of course, although circumstantial evidence suggests that both probably did, but clearly not at the same time. I would recommend 'The Swan' instead, Sydney Grew, particularly if you want to see one of Shakespeare's plays at 'The Globe'.



The Swan

My own preference, south of the river, is Tate Modern.



Restaurant at Tate Modern

I propose some toast: to the first, the second and 'The Third'! Three cheers from kleines c and the gang (whatever you are drinking)!

A connoisseur's choice, once again, Neil McGowan! On the trail of London’s buried river, Michael Hodges goes for a walk with 'FT Weekend' along the River Fleet. In the still morning beauty of Hampstead Heath, coot chicks scramble and swans glide across the Vale of Health pond. Michael is in Arcadia, north London, yet he cannot tarry. This bucolic stretch of water, overlooked by the homes of the wealthy, is one potential source of the capital’s lost river, the Fleet. Much of its progress is underground, making it hard to follow, or even find. But, somewhere beneath our very feet, it rises up, before travelling six miles southwards to the swirling squalor of the muddy Thames at Blackfriars. Our mission here in 'The Third is to join it on that journey.



Fleet Street's name continues to be used as a metonym for the British national press in the twenty-first century, even though the last major British news office, Reuters, left in 2005. Publishing started in Fleet Street around 1500 when William Caxton's apprentice, Wynkyn de Worde, set up a printing shop near Shoe Lane, while at around the same time Richard Pynson set up as publisher and printer next to St Dunstan's church. More printers and publishers followed, mainly supplying the legal trade in the four Law Inns around the area. On Wednesday 11 March 1702, Elizabeth Mallet published London's first daily newspaper, 'The Daily Courant', from rooms above the 'White Hart Inn' in Fleet Street. Mallet described the place as being "against the Ditch at Fleet Bridge". The newspaper consisted of a single page with two columns.



Elizabeth Mallet advertised that she intended to publish only foreign news, and claimed that she would not take upon herself to add any comments of her own, supposing other people to have "sense enough to make reflections for themselves." Mallet soon sold the paper to Samuel Buckley, who moved it to premises in the area of Little Britain, near St Bartholomew's Hospital, known as "the sign of the Dolphin". Buckley later became the printer of 'The Spectator'. 'The Daily Courant' was merged with 'The Daily Gazetteer' in 1735. Writing in the FT, Michael Hodges concludes thus:



'The Financial Times' also publishes a fascinating pub' crawl along the River Fleet, if only for kleines c:



FT - On the trail of London’s buried river

I should perhaps confess that I have visited all four of these public houses over the years, although I should like to add the following three as personal favourites:

5. Fancy a pint? Lamb

6. Fancy a pint? Jerusalem

7. Fancy a pint? Ye Olde Mitre

Writing in 'The Telegraph', Nick Collins reports on the rise and fall of the British pub.



Time, gentlemen, please!