Historic London Pubcast

Ep 23 Soho Pub Crawl Pt 2 - The Dog & Duck, The John Snow, The Toucan, Milroy's

• Eric Blair • Season 1 • Episode 23

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Let's continue our look at great Soho pubs.  These are my personal favorites

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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 referenced or 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 used / quoted in this episode:

Intro music:

Vivaldi - Spring Allegro by John Harrison w/ the Wichita State University Chamber Orch

Photo:  Tracy Apps

Website: https://historiclondonpubcast.com/

E-mail: hosteric@historiclondonpubcast.com

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 continues our look at Soho pubs. In the previous episode, we covered what I think are the two most well-known pubs in the district. In this one we'll talk about three pubs that are my Soho favorites. Between these two episodes, I think you can have a pretty good pub crawl list, all doable with a single visit to Soho.

So, let's get started. First, The Dog and Duck on Frith Street. I always like what Ted Bruning writes, so let's have a couple of paragraphs from the sections on this pub in his books, Historic Pubs Of London, and London By Pub, 

“Attracting famous faces since 1897, this Grade II Listed building in Soho has a fascinating history. The pub was originally built in 1734 on the site of the Duke of Monmouth's home. It was one of the earliest residential streets to be laid out in Soho. The Duke's place was acquired by Lord Bateman shortly after the Duke's execution. The mansion house itself was demolished in 1773. The building that houses the pub today was built in 1897 by the Architect Francis Cannon. Inside you'll still find many of the original features, including thousands of beautiful, glazed tiles, mahogany paneling and decorative mirrors. It's easy to see why it is considered to have one of London's most exquisite interiors of the period.”

CAMRA further offers,

“An elaborate mosaic at the pub depicts dogs and ducks. The name likely derived from the old-time sport of setting dogs on ducks with pinion wings and timing how long it took for the dogs to catch them. The loser paid for the drinks.”

Okay, let's go back to the beginning. Who was the Duke of Monmouth and what is his story? James Scott, First Duke of Monmouth, was born in Rotterdam in the Netherlands in 1649. The eldest illegitimate son of Charles The Second of England, with his mistress Lucy Walter. And you thought Nell Gwynne was his only girl on the side, didn't you?

The Duke served honorably in the Second and Third Anglo-Dutch War, eventually commanding a brigade. Being illegitimate, he really had no claim to the British Throne, but after his father's death and the ascent of his uncle James The Second to the Crown, he couldn't resist from the continent. He led what would be termed The Monmouth Revolution, composed of troops on three ships, landing and being quickly dispatched by the King's forces.

The Duke spent a bit of time on the run, but was eventually captured, returned to London, tried and executed for treason. That was in 1685, and he was only 36. There is a legend that after his beheading it was realized that there was no official portrait of the Duke. So, his body was exhumed, the head stitched back on, and it sat for a portrait to be painted.

Perhaps that is not really true. Or perhaps they didn't check with The National Portrait Gallery. Two portraits of Monmouth were done when he was very much alive, and can be seen there today, so the Duke did not get a chance to enjoy The Dog and Duck, but plenty others did. Painters John Constable and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and pop star Madonna, and Royalty also. The BBC reported in May of 2023, 

“Prince William and Catherine arrived at The Dog and Duck with crowds jammed into the narrow streets of Soho in the Bohemian heart of central London. Trying his hand at being a barman, Prince William pulled a pint of a beer, appropriately called kingmaker. The Royal couple had traveled to Soho on The Elizabeth Line, named after the Prince's grandmother, the late Queen. The lunchtime visit of the pub was to support the work of the hospitality industry, in the run up to the coronation of his father, Charles.”

Thanks BBC. What more can we say? Well, hey, this was Mozart's local. He lived at 20 Frith Street, about 200ft away, with his father and sister from September 1764 to July 1765. Mozart and his sister were performing as child prodigies in many London theaters and at court during this time in Soho. Mozart met the youngest son of Johann Sebastian Bach, that's John Christian, who had an important influence on Mozart's musical style. It is unlikely, though, that Wolfgang Amadeus was a Dog and Duck patron. He was only eight years old, but Karl Marx could well have been a patron. Like all good Germans, he was a beer lover and lived over at 28 Dean Street, a three-minute walk for five years, beginning in 1851.

But the most famous name associated with the pub is George Orwell. He chose The Dog and Duckas the place to celebrate in August 1945, when his book Animal Farm was chosen to be featured by the American Book of the Month Club. Why celebrate? Because this ensured a good amount of sales. George was familiar with many of the pubs in the area, but it is said he chose The Dog and Duck when the Owner told him that he had secured a few bottles of Absinthe.

So just what is that? Wiki says it's,

“An Anise flavored spirit that usually is bottled with a high alcohol content, 45 to 70% alcohol by volume, or 90 to 148 proof by US standards. Absinthe was created in the late 18th Century by a French Physician. It rose to great popularity in the late 19th and early 20th Century in France, particularly among Parisian Artists and Writers. The consumption of Absinthe was opposed by Social Conservatives and Prohibitionists, partly due to its association with Bohemian culture from Europe and the Americas. Notable Absinthe drinkers include Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, Lewis Carroll, Arthur Rimbaud, and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. Absinthe got a lot of bad press. It was portrayed as a dangerously addictive psychoactive drug and hallucinogen. By 1915, it had been banned in the United States and much of Europe. Yet it has not been demonstrated to be any more dangerous than ordinary spirits. Recent studies have shown that Absinthe’s psychoactive properties have been exaggerated.” 

The Absinthe The Dog and Duck Owner procured was most likely produced in Spain. Spain and Britain were about the only European countries in which you could drink the stuff legally. I was not able to find history specifically supporting this, but I believe Orwell might have gotten a taste for it when he was doing his military thing in the Spanish Civil War.

Unlike Hemingway and Dos Passos, who only were there to write about the war, Orwell was in it. He took field command of a platoon, saw action, and was eventually shot in the throat, but recovered. With all that, I am sure a slug or two of Absinthe must have soothed George's injured throat.

I couldn't find any accounts of the celebration at The Dog and Duck, but it left enough of an impression that the current upstairs is labeled The Orwell Room. In previous years, you could go up there with just a drink to contemplate what it must have been like to be in the pub with George Orwell, but on my most recent visit, the upstairs was for dining only. Anyway, we don't know. George and his buddies might not have been able to climb the stairs with a bit of Absinthe in them.

So, let's head out to the next of my favorites - The John Snow at 39 Broadway Street, a seven-minute walk away. The pub was first licensed in 1721 as The Newcastle Upon Tyne. It was completely rebuilt in 1867, which is basically what you see today. Frankly, it's a nice pub, but unremarkable, save for the famous folks associated with it. Of course, there's his namesake, Doctor John Snow, famous Physician.

The pub's name was changed to The John Snow in 1954, around the 100th year anniversary of the good Doctor's contribution to public health. More about that in a bit, but first, the other famous folks. We can also say that the pub was Poet William Blake's local. Once again, Ted Bruning’s London By Pub gives us a good summary,

“Blake was born in 1757 at 28 Broad Street, now known as Broadway Street. That is just down from the pub. Blake's father was a Hosier and had a shop on the ground floor. Young Blake lived there until he was 25, when he was apprenticed to an Engraver. He was educated at home by his mother, who thought that he was too sensitive for school. Sensitive or not, he was certainly a little strange. Once, he said, he saw God's face pressed against the window, and when he told his father he had seen a tree filled with angels, Dad’s response was to administer a sound thrashing. 

After his father died in 1784, Blake set up his own Engraver shop at number 27. When that business failed, he moved to nearby Poland Street, where he wrote Songs of Innocence and The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. He finally moved away to Lambeth in 1793, so just about 20 years after Blake moved out of Soho, a young fellow was born up in York, one John Snow. He displayed intellectual skills early in life, which led to a medical apprenticeship at age 14. Success in that role took him to medical school in London, finishing his M.D. in 1844, Snow set up his practice at 54 Frith Street in Soho as a Surgeon and Practitioner. He had two areas of interest - Epidemiology and Anesthesia, and eventually became recognized for his contribution into both fields. John Snow was one of the first Physicians to study and calculate dosages for the use of Ether and Chloroform in surgical and obstetrics procedures. He became known for his knowledge and skill in anesthesia. 

In 1853, Queen Victoria asked Doctor Snow to administer chloroform during her delivery of her eighth child, Leopold. He then repeated the procedure for the delivery of her daughter Berniece in 1857. This led to wider acceptance of obstetric anesthesia by the public. Doctor John's other interest, Epidemiology, was brought to the fore when there was a Cholera outbreak in his home area of Soho. The prevailing theory at the time was that Cholera was a result of bad air, but Snow did not accept this. By talking to local residents, he identified the source of the outbreak as the public water pump on what is now Broadway Street. Although he did not have conclusive proof at the time of the epidemic, his studies of the pattern of disease were convincing enough to persuade the local council to disable the well pump by removing its handle. This action has been commonly credited as ending the outbreak. 

Snow went on to fortify his proof, developing a dot map to illustrate the cluster of Cholera cases around the pump. He also used statistics to illustrate the connection between the quality of water source and Cholera cases. Snow's study was a major event in the history of public health. It's regarded as the founding event of the science of Epidemiology. Large scale sewer and water supply system upgrades were initiated, in part because of his understanding of the nature of Cholera infection. 

A book that I highly recommend is entitled, “The Ghost Map.” It provides a well-written history of the Cholera outbreak and Doctor Snow's work.” 

See the notes for further details. Today's pub is right down the street from where the Broad Street well was located. A metal monument, in the form of a pump with a plaque, is located just outside the pub commemorating Snow's achievement.

So, as I mentioned previously, in 1954, 100 years down the road from the Cholera epidemic, The Newcastle upon Tyne pub became The John Snow, a fitting tribute for a great achievement, but not everyone thinks so. John Snow advocated abstaining from alcohol and personally following a vegetarian diet. So, naming a pub where you can get a pint and a pork pie seems a bit off to some.

Lots of sources like to highlight the contradiction, referring to the Doctor as a lifelong Teetotaler and Vegetarian, but don't be fooled. This is not the case. In his later years, as he encountered some health issues, he began to eat meat and take wine, both of which he thought would be helpful. Welcome to the crowd, John. We're glad to have you.

In 1994, The John Snow Society was formed. Their websitetells us,

“The John Show Society aims to promote the life and works of Doctor John Snow and has over 4000 members worldwide, many of them eminent specialists in their field. The Society’s intent is to publish news, facts and dates relating to the life and works of John Snow and to organize the annual Pump Handle Lectures series - a talk delivered at the memorial outside the pub by a leading authority in contemporary public health. The society also aims to provide communication networks for Epidemiologists and those trained in the Snow tradition throughout the world. Membership is open to anyone who wishes to celebrate the memory of John Snow. International membership is encouraged. The only requirement being that you visit the John Snow Pub, located on the site of the original pub, on any trips to London.”

So, see, the real John Snow fans celebrate the fact that a nice pub has been named in his honor. Now, here's a little-known fact just for you, dear Listeners. The Society maintains a sign-up ledger at the pub for people who wish to record their visit. Ask your barman or bar lady and they will produce it from behind the bar or maybe tell you that it's at the upstairs bar. I always sign it and try to put in a brief sentence in the comment section relating to my high regard for the achievement of Doctor Snow. I guess that makes me a Society Member.

Our final pub today is The Toucan. This one is not covered by a lot of historical pub books, but I think it has a great history, albeit maybe not one that is very lengthy. The website gives us a good summary of how The Toucan came to be,

“Prior to being the pub that we all know and love, The Toucan, 19 Carlisle Street had been a legendary Soho spot for decades. Back in the ‘60s, the premises was a Greek restaurant called La Roca, known in the area by day for its Greek cuisine. By night, the restaurant was famous for its evenings of music in the basement. In 1993, Colin Taylor, the current Toucan Owner, first began working at 19 Carlisle Street. At that time, the premises was occupied by a takeaway sandwich bar and cafe called, As You Like It. The original Owner of the space had continued to operate the bar in the basement. However, he changed the iconic name from Knuckles Bar to Buzz's Bar. Buzz was bothered by the lack of good Guinness in central London in the ‘90s, and therefore set the bar up as a haven for Guiness enthusiasts to get a proper pint of the black stuff in Soho. By 1994, the ground floor and the basement operations were united under the leadership of Colin Taylor, and the basement bar license was expanded to the ground floor as well, and thus The Toucan was born.”

Okay. Thank you, website. The bar prides itself on its Irishness, said to have the best pint of Guinness in town, and a great selection of Irish Whiskeys. It's a small place that never fails to delight. But there is a historical link to consider as well. For that, we have to go back to the 1960s.

In 1966, three nights a week, The Knuckles Bar in the basement hosted live music. It was operated by a drummer from a local band, so it grew in popularity with the London musicians as a hangout spot. It became the underground go to place for anyone trying to break into the entertainment business. Now let's bring in Chas Chandler. Chas was one of the original members of The Animals. He played bass. You can hear him best in the starting part of their hit, “We Got To Get Out Of This Place.” He was also bass on their biggest hit, “House Of The Rising Sun.” 

The Animals got famous and began touring, but after a while, Chas became disillusioned by the performing side of the music business. He was quoted as saying,

“We toured nonstop for three years doing 300 gigs a year, and we hardly got a penny.”

On his final tour with The Animals, Chas saw a then unknown Jimi Hendrix playing in a club in Greenwich Village, New York. Chas convinced Jimmy to come over to London. On Jimi’s first night across The Pond, Chas took Jimi to The Knuckles Bar. That evening, a trio called Deep Feeling was performing. The group featured Jim Capaldi and Dave Mason. Jimi got up and jammed with him. Capaldi and Mason went on to form the band Traffic, and with Charles's help, Jimi got his own band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Chas was Jimi’s Manager and, much more. He was very prominent in the production of all of Hendrix's albums up through Electric Ladyland. Also, it was Chas who had the idea of Jimi setting his guitar on fire.

They eventually went their separate ways, and Chas went on to manage the very successful group Slade. And it all started kind of in what is now the basement of The Toucan.More recently, The Toucan was a featured location in the 2021 film Last Night in Soho. The screenplay for the film was co-written by Krysty Wilson-Cairns and Director Edgar Wright.

Krysty worked as a Bartender at The Toucan, and lived on Dean Street for several years while attending Britain's National Film and Television School. She actually pitched the script idea to Edgar Wright on a pub crawl through Soho in 2016.

So, that's our three pubs today, but we are still in Soho. Let's go out for what the French call, “A Digestif.” What is that? Here's the definition of now,

“A Digestif is an alcoholic beverage served after a meal to aid digestion.”

Digestifs can include a variety of drinks, such as liqueurs a la Grand Marnier and Amaretto, Grappa (which is an Italian Brandy) or Cognac, or Armagnac (which is French Brandy). Let's make ours a little more local. How about Scotch? If it is 6 p.m. or so, and we head over to Three Greek Street, we will find a shop called Milroy’s. This place is mainly devoted to Whisky, particularly Scotch Whisky. Founded in 1964 by two Milroy brothers, Jack and Wallace, as a wine and whisky seller, it became prominent as the single malt Scotch trend began to emerge. One source calls the shop,

“A pioneer of single malt,”

and relates that,

“Michael Caine and Harold Wilson were among its many customers.” 

The brothers have sold their interest in the store, but it continues to prosper under the Milroy name. You can pay for a sample of lots of rare scotches, a chance to test them out before you spring for the whole bottle, but my preference is an experience in what is called, ‘The Vault.” At the back of the store is a bookcase on the wall to the right. Push it and it gives way to the top of a staircase. Follow this down and you are in a splendid underground bar. The website says,

“The vault is our underground candlelit cocktail bar. Our imaginative drinks list offers original service, all developed by our expert in-house team. Get comfy in our relaxed, speakeasy style space. Join us on a Monday and you'll be treated to live jazz. We always reserve a section of the bar for walk ins. Reservations are welcome for groups of up to four.”

Well, I have been there twice. Always a walk in at opening time. Both times the staff at the bar have been just terrific. They will advise you on whisky if you are not familiar with the fine points. I found their suggestions just great.

So, there you have it. A little topper for our Soho Two Pub Crawl. Give all these places a try. I think you will like them as much as I do.

Remember to thumbs up, like, subscribe, and all that. My email is in the notes hosteric@historiclondonpubcast.com and it is 24/7 ready to receive anything you care to send me. Until next time then, dear Listeners. Cheers.