The City of London Tavern or London Tavern was a notable meeting place in London during the 18th and 19th centuries. A place of business where people gathered to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, the tavern was situated in Bishopsgate in the City of London (the site today of Nos. 1–3 Bishopsgate). The original tavern was destroyed in a fire on 7 November 1765 and the new building was designed by William Jupp the elder (with support from William Newton, 1765–1768) and opened in September 1768. In 1828, the proprietor was Charles Bleaden.[1] The building was demolished in 1876.[2] The tavern boasted a large and well-decorated dining room with Corinthian columns. It hosted numerous public and private meetings held to rally support to various political, charitable and other causes.[3][4]
In 1841, Charles Dickens presided at a meeting for the benefit of the Sanatorium for Sick Authors and Artists, and in 1851 at the annual dinner for the General Theatrical Fund.[2] While he was attending a dinner at the London Tavern on 14 April 1851, Dickens learned of the death of his daughter Dora Annie Dickens.
- ^ "Licensed Victuallers". Bell's Life in London and Sporting Chronicle. 11 May 1828. p. 2 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b "The London Tavern". The Worshipful Company of Bowyers. Worshipful Company of Bowyers. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Artfundwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Callow, Edward (1899). Old London Taverns. London: Downey and Co. pp. 77–81.