Ep 04 Dazzling Beauties - London's Gin Palaces Pt1 - The Salisbury & The Argyle Arms

Let's explore the class of pubs known as gin palaces.  This episode, the first of two, discusses how these ornate pubs came about and takes us to two great examples, The Salisbury and The Argyll Arms.
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Google map with pubs covered in previous episodes pinned, courtesy of Andy Meddick:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/4/edit?mid=12c-WKa3XiT1qTLydK8psZocUR7Y_Wes&usp=sharing

Or TinyURL: https://tinyurl.com/bduca5dv

The following resources are quoted frequently in these episodes:

• Ted Bruning  -- Historic Pubs of London (ISBN 978-0658005022) and London By Pub (ISBN 978-0658005022)
• Wikipedia
• https://londonspubswherehistoryreallyhappened.wordpress.com/  by Ann Laffeaty

Additionally, the following resource(s) were quoted in this episode:

• Andy Owens - The Salisbury - A Legendary London Pub, glintoflight.com
• Camra -Pub Heritage - Historic Pub Interiors, pubheritage.camra.org.uk

Intro music:

Vivaldi - Spring Allegro by John Harrison with the Wichita State University Chamber

Photo: OZinOH

Website: https://historiclondonpubcast.com/

E-mail: hosteric@historiclondonpubcast.com

Transcript

Welcome to this episode of The Historic London Pubcast. I'm Eric Blair, and I'd like to take you on a journey through the rich history of London's iconic pubs. My goal is to share with you my passion for the great old pubs of London. I want to give you some facts to help you appreciate the history of these hallowed establishments mixed in with some fun stories that make it all go down as smooth as a well poured pint. 

Today we'll focus on pubs that meet the definition of the term ‘Gin Palace’. I try not to make these episodes longer than a pint or two. So, to truly cover the best Gin Palaces, we'll need to devote two episodes to the topic. We'll get to two pubs today. Be sure to look for the second episode to complete our tour.

So, what is a ‘Gin Palace’? The term arose in England during the 18th and 19th centuries and originally referred to a lavish bar specifically selling gin. But more recently the term has come to refer not to a pub's drinks menu, but its architecture - specifically late Victorian pubs that were built in an ornate and flamboyant architectural style. These pubs often have grand facades, elaborate decorations and spacious interiors, making them stand out from more traditional pubs.

That description certainly applies to the pubs in these two episodes. I think the best way to start is to talk a little bit about the history of gin in the UK. Once again, Mr. Ted Bruning does a great job of summarizing a bit of history and telling us how it relates to our interest in pubs. In his book Historic Pubs of London, he says,

“To understand Gin Palaces, it's necessary to know that in the 1700s there has been an explosion in the distillation and consumption of cheap, adulterated and often poisonous gin. There was a view held by many legislators that gin was evil and beer virtuous. So, in 1830, (coincidentally, the beginning of what is known as the Victoria period, that 70-year span of the rule of Queen Victoria) the government passed the Beer Act, allowing anyone to set up a beer house on payment of a token fee. The idea was to undercut the gin sellers. Almost overnight, the price of beer halved as thousands of beer houses were set up. Many of them low dives in the desperate slums which were to be found all over London. A painful side effect from its explosive growth. In response to the Beer Act, Gin palaces for the poor were set up by the distillers to hit back against the new ale houses. The ale houses were generally shabby, so the distillers pushed gin parlors to the other extreme. Extravagant opulence, they reasoned, would prove an irresistible lure to people whose own surroundings were so miserable that they spared no expense in creating an illusion of luxury. Indeed, many of the most lavish of the Gin Palaces were found to be in the worst slums. Within a few years, the term ‘Gin Palace’ was no longer applied merely to ornate establishments serving drams of gin, but to all pubs of a particular level of architecture and décor.” 

Now let me jump in with an aside. Normally, small details of architectural style are not something we discuss in these pubcasts, but the specifics of glass etching in the following paragraph are worth reading because they are so much a part of the classic Gin Palace characteristic.

Back to what Ted wrote in his book,

“Interior decor reached astral heights of fantasy, which owed much to the march of technology. Perhaps the most important ingredient was the combination of gaslight and plate glass, carefully placed mirrors and sheets of plate breaking and reflecting the blaze of gas jets that could make a small bar seem much larger. The earliest methods of decorating plate glass were grinding and acid etching, but after the 1840s, new techniques made it possible for great panels of rich ornamentation. The most favored decorative motifs were taken from nature vine hop, acanthus foliage, national flowers of the four UK countries, and birds perched on branches. In later years it became possible to achieve different depths of cut, which meant that several tones could be used to break up the light still further. The Gin Palace era came to a spectacular end in the last two years of the century, with reforming magistrates trying to reduce the number of licenses and more brewers moving into the London pub market. There was much competition for sites, and there was a wave of pub refurbishment in styles that moved away from the classic Gin Palace motif.” 

Okay, let's get started with what many consider the greatest Gin Palace of them all - The Salisbury at Covent Garden,located at the corner of St. Martin's Lane and St. Martin's Court. Walking up to the pub, the prominent signage of The Salisburycatches your eye.

The sign features an elegant gentleman, clearly from earlier time, looking down upon us. As we approached the door, reaching for the brass handle, we push open the heavy door with a gentle creak. Stepping inside, you're greeted with sunlight streams flowing through etched glass windows casting a dappled light across the worn wooden tables and plush Chesterfield armchairs. Our gaze sweeps across the room, taking in the rich history that saturates the atmosphere.

Ornate mahogany panels line the wall there, dark, gleaming, catching the light from the hanging gas lamps high above. Intricate gold chandeliers cast a warm glow there, crystals tinkling faintly with every passing movement. The pub feels like a well-worn favorite, a place we know that holds countless stories within its walls. Again, let's see what the Historic Pubs of London book says,

“Perhaps London's most famous late Victorian Gin Palace, The Salisbury, is as well known for its theatreland location as its decor. A tavern called The Coach and Horses stood on the site until 1866, when it was renamed The Salisbury Stores. The name signifies that the owner was taking advantage of an 1860 act to a parliament that sought to promote the sale of wine, which was viewed as more wholesome than beer or spirits, by lowering the duty on wine and permitting the sale without a license. The ‘stores’ element of the name commonly signified the availability of libation to take home. This old pub was taken down in 1892 and rebuilt, reemerging first as a restaurant and then in 1898 as the pub. It hit the market right before the gin bubble burst at the turn of the century, so it got the full Gin Palace treatment. The fantastic glass work and Art Nouveau bronze statues, for which The Salisburyis famous, date to its reopening as the pub in 1898. The profusely decorated glass work comprises mirrors, windows and acidic tableaux within brilliant cut borders. The mahogany bar back survives intact, and the small private bar opening of St. Martin's Court is a gallery of ornate glass and wood.”

What a great description! The Salisburyis operated by the Greene King Companyand has a nice website with some great pictures. Type The Salisbury Pub, London into search to get to the website and then scroll down to the bottom. There are ten pictures of the pub, but that does not do it true justice. This place is ornate cut glass on steroids.

A couple of famous photos were taken at The Salisbury. The CAMRA Pub Heritage sitetells us,

“There are two old brass tables in the front of the seating and in the main bar, and these appear in the famous black and white photograph of Marianne Faithful by Gerard Mankiewicz, which was taken here for her album Come My Way. The photo is on the wall and also hangs in the National Portrait Gallery. There's a photo of Dylan Thomas in the dining room, which records his visit to the pub. The area where Dylan Thomas's photo was taken is now called The Dylan Thomas Room, and although she might not be too famous now, Marianne Faithfull was a popular singer in Britain in the 1960s and considered to be one of the most beautiful women in the world.”

Not surprisingly, she was also Mick Jagger's girlfriend. I always like to talk about where a pub name came from. This one came from the Third Marquis of Salisbury, Robert Arthur Talbot Gascon Cecil, born in 1830. He had a distinguished political career, serving as Prime Minister three times for a total of 13 years between 1885 and 1902. He was said to have been Queen Victoria's favorite Prime Minister.

Two fun facts about Lord Shrewsbury. First, he had what the British call a double barrel, hyphenated last name. The second part of it is Cecil. We Yanks might say See-cil, but it's Sess-il nonetheless. The land and the original pub were owned by the Cecil family, and they still own the land. So the pub, its name is a little self-promotion, a politician self-promoting.

Imagine that. Second fun fact relates to the British term Bob's Your Uncle, which means there you have it. Or it's done. Usually after a series of directions or instructions. Current thinking is that the phrase goes back to Lord Salisbury. Remember, his first name was Robert, appointing Arthur Balfour as Chief Secretary of Ireland. The public view that as blatant nepotism since Balfour was Salisbury's nephew.

Thus, it's a done deal when Bob's your uncle! The Salisburyhas a raft of famous patrons, more than just Marianne Faithfull and Dylan Thomas. And like The Star Tavern we covered in a previous pubcast (Episode 03),most of these folks were there from the 50s and 60s. There are some good, fun facts that come out of the autobiography of a British actor named Johnny Briggs, he says.

“There was a whole gang of us Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Peter O'Toole, Richard Harris and we used to meet in Salisbury if we weren't working. If you had a job, you could put a quid in the kitty (that's 1 pound) and if you were on the dole, you put in ten bob (which is half a pound). And we regularly partied through Friday to Saturday breakfast. One time Peter O'Toole came back from filming Lawrence of Arabia, and he swept into The Salisburywith its mirrored walls, wearing his full Lawrence kit for a laugh. He yelled “I'm home from the desert deuce”! To which I promptly called out, “Never mind the desert, have you got your bloody handbag so you can buy the beers?” 

Richard Burton was a big fan of The Salisburywhen filming Where Eagles Dare. He regularly visited the pub and brought along costar Clint Eastwood. Eastwood was said to be very popular with the bar staff because he hated coins and refused to take any change after buying rounds. “Keep it,” he would say. Burton and Liz Taylor celebrated their second marriage to each other with a reception at the pub on another visit by the couple.

A little bit of Liz's inner diva got under Richard's skin. She asked if the pub served Martinis. Burton and the lads had a rule that they always drank beer. Richard boomed out in his prominent theater voice,

“Look, woman, you'll have a bloody pint or a bloody half pint. So, what do you want?”

Liz took half. 

Going back a bit further. Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh had an affair in the 1930s before they divorced their respective spouses and married each other. They were often seen walking into The Salisbury and ascending the magnificent staircase to the private rooms above. The beautiful staircase is still a feature of the pub. 

The final story is about Peter O'Toole. He was the lead in a play presented at what is now the Noel Coward Theater,which is just steps away from The Salisbury.

Peter was enjoying himself with some buddies before the curtain up one night and lost track of time. Five minutes to curtain came and went and there was no leading man. The stage director quickly got the understudy ready. A young unknown named Michael Caine. Michael was quickly suited up and stood trembling at the two as the two-minute point arrived. Suddenly, Peter dashed in straight from the pub and said, no, you don't. Michael  quickly costumed. He went on stage as Michael collapsed onto a chair on stage. Peter improvised a bit when he moved to the back of the set and threw up at one of the windows. He did so, so skillfully that it all seemed part of the play, and his performance that night was termed flawless.

The Salisburycontinues to attract actors from the West End. A couple of visitors recently told me that they saw an up-and-coming stage actor in The Salisbury. But unlike Peter O'Toole, they thought it was after his final curtain of the night. 

Okay, everybody, let's take a walk. If we stroll north on Charing Cross into Soho and take a left on Oxford Street for a total of about 20 minutes, we'll come to Argyle Street and right near the corner is The Argyle Arms.

Come on now, don't dawdle. Let's pop in. The pub is another marvel of the late Gin Palace era. Ornate Victorian details catch your eye everywhere you look. Gleaming mahogany panels line the walls etched with swirling patterns above your head. The intricately molded ceiling is a work of art itself, painted a deep cream and accentuated with gold mirrors on the wall further enhance a sense of spaciousness, reflecting the flickering gas lamps and the rows of colorful bottles displayed behind the bar.

The pub's architecture tells us something about the times when it was built, but let's take back a bit further into history. The pub and the street took its name from the person who owned this land in the 1700s, John Campbell, second Duke of Argyll 1682 1743, a Scottish nobleman and British Army General of sufficient acclaim to be buried in Westminster Abbey.

Other than giving it his name, pub history falls to others than the General. Ted Bruning’s book London By Pub has the best writeup of The Argyle Armshistory, 

“Around 1895, the owner, Mr. Bratt, commissioned Designer Robert Sawyer to remodel the interior. In keeping with the new vogue of privacy, this was not mere snobbishness. In the larger bars of the past, it has been almost impossible to either hold a conversation or avoid a brawl. And in those days, the great unwashed really were unwashed. There was a strong demand for drinking places which were quiet, safe and discreet, and the solution was to break the pub up into many separate compartments. Sawyer's layout is on a plan which was not then unusual. The side passage gives on to a front bar and two small railway compartment private bars divided by partitions, but sharing the same counter at the back. The passage opens to a big saloon. Classic and floral motifs rise in profusion over vast surfaces of breathtaking bravura. The light is caught and refracted from a thousand edges, creating an illusion of space and air in what is actually a series of small rooms. The whole is enriched by shiny mahogany and ornately molded plaster. The Argyle can truly be called a palace.”

Thank you, Ted. Unlike some of the pubs of its period, the original privacy architecture has been maintained. A blog named London Pubs Where History Really Happened (a statement I agree with, by the way), does a brief but complete summary paragraph, even ending with a bit of fun. 

“The Argyll Arms has a wonderful Victorian feel. A long entrance corridor leads into a sizable space at the back, which is delightfully shiny and crammed full of etched glass, mirrors and chandeliers. Smaller groups may prefer to ensconce themselves in one of the cozy, screened-off spaces where they can drink in relative privacy. And these sections have direct access to the bar, which helps prevent any repeated Victorian scandalous behavior.”

Well, that's it for our first two Gin Palaces, but there's more to come. Look for the second episode, where we will cover three more Gin Palace beauties.

Until then, thanks for listening and Cheers!