In Jeffrey Johnson’s Footsteps
A few years ago, I published Jeffrey Johnson’s photographs of his favourite pubs from the seventies now held in the archive at Bishopsgate Institute. The author known as Rescue Dog Dexter – a graduate of my blog writing course – set out to discover what had become of Jeffrey Johnson’s pubs and this is what he found. Follow RESCUE DOG DEXTER, Every dog has their day and this is mine
I am now taking bookings for the next courses, HOW TO WRITE A BLOG THAT PEOPLE WILL WANT TO READ on May 11th/12th and November 9th/10th. Come to Spitalfields and spend a weekend with me in an eighteenth century weaver’s house in Fournier St, enjoy delicious lunches from Leila’s Cafe, eat cakes baked to historic recipes by Townhouse and learn how to write your own blog. Click here for details
If you are graduate of my course and you would like me to feature your blog, please drop me a line.
Knave of Clubs, Bethnal Green Rd
Present before 1735, the pub became a restaurant around 1994 before closing in 2001 and reopening as a bar called Dirty Bones
Crown & Woolpack, St John St, Clerkenwell
Believed to date from around 1851, the pub was open until 1990, then closed but has undergone refurbishment and is currently The Chapel, a hairdresser
Dericote St, Broadway Market
This building appears unchanged however it is clearly a private residence now. The history is obscure, although we understand that it was once part of the Guinness empire
Brunswick Arms, Macdonald Rd, Archway
Demolished in the early eighties, there is no trace of the pub today
Old Bell Tavern, St Pancras
The same view today
Horn Tavern, Knightrider St, City of London (now known as The Centrepage)
Originally known as the Horn Tavern, the pub can be seen when crossing the foot bridge from Tate Modern to St Pauls. A grade II listed building, built in the mid-nineteenth century – the area around the pub has changed significantly
Magpie & Stump, Old Bailey
Opposite the Old Bailey, the Magpie & Stump was apparently nicknamed ‘Court Number 10’ as it was regularly filled with detectives and reporters
The Bull’s Head (Landlords fight to save City pub)
The Bull’s Head was demolished in 1990 to make way for this office development
Marquis of Anglesey, Ashmill St
The pub closed around 2009 and became offices
The White Horse, Little Britain
There seems to have been a pub on this site since 1765, it was rebuilt in 1892 but closed around 1971 and converted to offices
The Olde Wine Shades, City of London
This establishment was built in 1663, predating the Great Fire by three years. Due to the architectural and historical significance, it is grade II listed
Original photographs © Jeffrey Johnson
New photographs copyright © Rescue Dog Dexter
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The Magpie and Stump saddens me. I remember it well from the 70s. Is it the same M&S that Charles Dickens watched executions from, do you think? And the pub in St Pancras. That’s a shame. Glad to see so many still helping the capital’s drinkers.
Love the photos! Thank you for your work in showing them to us
In relation to this item and to the Tadman’s one last week I wonder whether someone can remind me of the legal situation that resulted in licensed premises being preferentially reconstructed/repaired after bomb damage, thus accounting in part for their preponderant, isolated placement at street corners and junctions.
It does look like a case of ‘to those who have shall more be given’, but perhaps there is some better justification too.
Bear with a long-ago memory from a New Yorker. We were making our first trip to London (first of MANY), taking a chartered bus from the airport into your grand town. Now — imagine someone entering London for the first time. SO much excitement and anticipation. A very mannerly lady in black dress, pearls and even one of those little net thingies on her head was speaking into a microphone so we would be aware of all the nuances. Suddenly she inserted (in an excitable voice) that
“New York City is burning!”. Back at home, we had experienced a black-out and the horrific outcome of that event was harrowing. Sadly, looting and rioting was taking place. And yet here we were in beautiful London. Sigh. I got out my travel journal and began recording the names of the pubs as they appeared through the bus windows. I still have the list. One in particular that tweaked my imagination: Stanley’s Library. I have no idea if it still exists (and, heck , maybe in my excited state it never existed……….) but it has stuck in my memory.
Yours in a wonderful, enduring city! Thanks for allowing me to “return” to London almost
every morning. I can’t think of a better way to begin the day.
The sympathetic conversion of the Dericote St building to a private residence is lovely! I do hope the beautiful bow window over the Bulls Head was saved, and is in a museum today. It’s sad to see the architectural interest of old London destroyed and replaced by concrete and glass.
Great work, sad stories. Can only imagine the work it took to protect the few remaining.
Well done!
The first picture in Bethnal Green Road of the Knave of Clubs,began life as the VAN TRUMP, then the Boxer Sir Henry Cooper took it on and it became the COOPERS, had a small Men’s Barbers attached when I was a boy called Barney Benns, it was where the true cockney crowd went when they where getting smartning up for a date in the 50s, and something for the weekend was always heard by us small boys sitting there on planks of wood having ours cut, we never understood what it meant.
Really enjoyed this. Great to see pics of the places from the 70s. Sad to see some of them go, but at least stories like this are raising awareness of the inherent value of these aging beauties. Thanks for another great post!
Is Rescue Dog Dexter related to the late great Police Dog Hogan?
The “Magpie & Stump” in Dickensian literature is thought to be the Seven Stars in Carey Street, toward the rear of the Royal Courts of Justice. The Old Bell in St Pancras was initially fairly difficult to find, however the “giveaway” was the German Gymnasium towards the rear of the sight in the original photograph.
The destruction of much of Londons working class (and by default drinking) culture to what is now a sea of glass and steel is indeed sad to see. Indeed the bow window above the door to the Bulls Head was unlikely to have been saved. The developers would have been too busy putting a shiny new office block on the site to worry about small details such as salvage of a window. I hope I am proved wrong however.
Finally, no I am not related to the great police dog, Hogan. I only wish I was as brave and fearless.