George and Vulture

The George and Vulture

The George and Vulture is a restaurant in London. There has been an inn on the site, which is off Lombard Street in the historic City of London district, since 1142.[1] It was said to be a meeting place of the notorious Hellfire Club and is now a revered City chop house.

It is mentioned at least 20 times[2] in the 1837 novel The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens, who frequently drank there himself. The George and Vulture has been the headquarters of the City Pickwick Club since its foundation.[3] When it was threatened with demolition, Cedric Charles Dickens, the author's great-grandson, campaigned to save it.[1] Since 1950 it has been the home of his Dickens Pickwick Club and, in the same year, it became the venue for the Christmas Day Dickens family gathering, in the Dickens Room.[4]

The George and Vulture is a Grade II listed building, dating back to the early 18th century.[5] It is now run by Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster).[6][7][8]

  1. ^ a b The "George and Vulture" in "Pickwick Papers" Cedric Charles Dickens Pub. by Dickens Publishing (1995) pg 10 ISBN 0-9518525-2-3
  2. ^ Dickens, op. cit. pg 12
  3. ^ Dickens, op.cit. pg 1
  4. ^ Dickens, op. cit. pg 1
  5. ^ Historic England. "George and Vulture (1064728)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  6. ^ "Corporation of London Extract from the Planning Register – Site Reference 2611". Archived from the original on 23 December 2007. Retrieved 25 October 2008.
  7. ^ "Hackney' Listed Buildings" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2008. Retrieved 25 October 2008.
  8. ^ "The George and Vulture Chop House". george-and-vulture.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2023.