The London Walker

Two remarkable buildings, 20 Fenchurch Street ‘the Walkie Talkie’ and the beautiful brick and gabled Gothic of 33-35 Eastcheap, the site of the Boar’s Head Tavern, an enormously famous ancient pub mentioned by Shakespeare in Henry IV part I as Falstaff’s local and where he had many a boozy night with the soon to be Henry V. Clearly so familiar to Shakespeare’s pen, that he undoubtedly knew the pub very well himself. Thats what I like to see, dedicated research by England’s greatest writer. Well done Will. What would it have been like to have spent a night there swigging back some good ale during the late 1500’s.

The original pub was burnt down in 1666 during the Great Fire, however it was rebuilt, but eventually knocked down during a period of Victorian expansion. Astonishingly the old pub sign however made it through all this history and as far as I’m aware is in the safe hands of the Museum of London. The second image is a photograph of the old pub sign.