{"id":2101,"date":"2011-03-22T17:51:35","date_gmt":"2011-03-22T16:51:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colleensparis.com\/blog\/?p=2101"},"modified":"2020-11-05T14:41:58","modified_gmt":"2020-11-05T13:41:58","slug":"hidden-houses-and-pubs-long-weekend-in-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-wptechsupport.com\/colleensparis\/2011\/03\/hidden-houses-and-pubs-long-weekend-in-london\/","title":{"rendered":"Hidden Houses and Pubs – Long Weekend in London"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Benjamin<\/a>The plan for the London weekend visit was to combine historic house museums with nearby pubs as another way to discover small streets and what lies in tucked-away corners. Instead of interior decorations, I would follow in the footsteps of known contemporary Enlightenment personalities. They lived and worked in the new Georgian style homes in London during this Age of Reason in the 1700s. Three of the houses are considered among six as “hidden London houses<\/strong> with secretly huge historic connections<\/em>“.<\/p>\n

Benjamin Franklin<\/a><\/strong> lived in a boarding house that doubled as an anatomy lab with bones illegally sold to a boarder by the “resurrection men”. The home eventually became a hotel. George Frideric Handel<\/a><\/strong> rented his house until he became a British subject and could buy it.\u00a0 His home became an antique store. The home of Doctor Johnson<\/a><\/strong>, who “compiled the first comprehensive dictionary” was rescued from demolition and is a London rarity for residential buildings. His home became a center for the local fire auxiliary.<\/p>\n

I read in “London’s Strangest Tales”<\/strong>, of Benjamin Franklin’s 16 years of scientific experiments, his \"Benjamin<\/a>eccentricities and of the survival of this little house through the shifting of the Thames embankment, railroad station construction, war, and redevelopment. An unexploded World War II bomb that dropped shattered all of the original windows, but left the shutters, floorboards, walls, fireplaces and stoves intact. When I returned home, I pulled down from the shelf “The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin<\/strong>” reviewing the numerous passages relating to his acquaintances with Mrs. Stevenson and Polly Hewson and his London stay. This house, a de facto<\/em> embassy at the time, is to be admired for its historical symbolism and interior architecture and not for its furnishings. Playing the “Glass Armonica” on the architecture tour was a new and fun experience.<\/p>\n

Handel was one of the featured artists in a “Glory of the Baroque” concert. After attending this Friday night concert in the church of Saint Martin in the Fields<\/a><\/strong>, Handel’s house went on the list to be explored. The Handel House Museum is sandwiched between other town houses. The wrought iron fencing has disappeared and store fronts have replaced the parlor windows. Pink doors send you around to the back to enter the museum. The house that was turned into an antique store is furnished with harpsichords, illustrations, portraits and such.\u00a0 An inventory left after Handel’s death helps the Handel House Trust to restore the house. For visitors, costumes, wigs and hats are available for dress-up. They also have a “Museum Detective” handout on a clip board, which begs the eye of the detective to open and search for things. I needed help looking for the “prawn\/shrimp”.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.<\/a>As some people collect pieces of paper, my collection is memory-stored travel articles. The New York Times published a 36 Hours in London<\/a><\/strong> that mentioned Dr. Johnson’s house as a “Lexicographer’s Delight”.\u00a0 Dr. Samuel Johnson’s definition of\u00a0 lexicographer may have described himself: “LEXICOGRAPHER: A writer of dictionaries; a human drudge….” Dr. Samuel Johnson was known for throwing in his opinion within the definitions. In the handout for children to discover the museum, one of the activities requires the discovery of unusual words and their meanings in one of the dictionaries.\u00a0 As with Handel’s house, period costumes, wigs and hats are available for dress-up.<\/p>\n

“Camelopard<\/em> is a feminine noun [from camelus<\/em> and pardus<\/em>, Lat.] An Abyssinian animal, taller than an elephant, \"Handel<\/a>but not so thick. He is so named, because he has a neck and head like a camel; he is spotted like a pard, but his spots are white upon a red ground. The Italians call him giaraffa.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

The walls on hinges are definitely an interesting curiosity. Watch the video or read the laminated guide about the large chain across the door that attaches to the spiral hook and the wrought iron on the fanlight over the front door. The method for avoiding creditors and child thieves. (Benjamin Franklin’s house also has the chain, only a bit smaller.)<\/p>\n

\"Handel<\/a>The men who lived in these homes were interesting, but the love and dedication of the restorers make for great stories. The Friends of Benjamin Franklin House<\/strong> purchased the Craven street freehold in 1990 and opened the museum to the public in 2006. Its foundations are still wracked by the humidity of the nearby Thames. Twenty-six layers of paint scraping revealed the original green, now known as Franklin Green. The Handel House Trust<\/strong>‘s devotion has been to restore walls, flooring, fireplaces and more using the inventory sheets. Their paint scraping went down twenty-eight layers to find the original paint and the chocolate brown on the doors. The house opened to the public in 2001. A Member of Parliament, Cecil Harmsworth, who opened it to the public, saved Dr. Johnson\u2019s house from dereliction in 1911. The Dr. Johnson\u2019s House Trust<\/strong> and the present Lord Harmsworth<\/strong> now run it. The fire brigade was using the house as a rest center and arts club when a bomb in World War Two hit it. Their expertise saved it from total destruction. Only the attic had to be rebuilt.<\/p>\n

Places to eat and drink in these areas<\/strong>
\nGood meal
\nThe Cork & Bottle<\/a> <\/strong>(Wine bar)
\n44-46 Cranbourn Street
\n0207 734 78 07
\nTube: Leicester Square
\nClose to Benjamin Franklin House
\nOrder food at the bar. Enjoyed the vegetable share platter for dinner. Wine by the glass listed on two blackboards at the bar.
\nTo avoid unpleasant seating, make a reservation even for lunch<\/p>\n

Good meal
\nLamb & Flag<\/strong>
\n33 Rose St
\nCity of London WC2E 9EB
\n020 7497 9504
\nTube: Convent Garden
\nOpen: Everyday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
\nIf there is a spot, the downstairs is more cozy and pubbish feeling. Order at the bar. Ate a good lunch of cottage pie and roast beef in front of the fire.<\/p>\n

Good for a pint
\n\"Ye<\/a>Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese<\/strong>
\n145 Fleet Street
\nCity of London, EC4A 2BU
\n020 7353 6170
\nTube: Blackfriars
\nOpen: Monday to Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday\u00a0 noon to 4 p.m.
\nRight around the corner from Dr. Johnson’s House<\/p>\n

Good meal
\n\"Nag's<\/a>Kevin Moran – Nag’s Head Pub<\/strong>
\n53 Kinnerton Street
\n0207 235 1135
\nTube: Hyde Park Corner
\nOpen: Monday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday noon to 10:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Other places to eat and drink
\n\"Daunt<\/a>Camden area – excellent meal
\nFeng Shang Princess Restaurant<\/a><\/strong> (on the water)
\nCumberland Basin
\nPrince Albert Road
\nRegents Park, London NW1 7SS
\n0207 4850216<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Great book store for travel guides and travel non-fiction
\n\"Daunt<\/a>Daunt Books<\/a><\/strong>
\n83 Marylebone High Street, London W1U 4QW
\nTelephone: 020 7224 2295
\nTube: Baker Street, Regent’s Park
\nOpen: Monday – Saturday 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.<\/p>\n

The House Museums all have special events, lectures, and concerts.
\n\"Benjamin<\/a>Benjamin Franklin House<\/a> <\/strong>
\n36 Craven Street
\nLondon WC2N 5NF
\n0207 839 2006
\nTube: Charing Cross Station<\/p>\n

Craven Street is minutes from Trafalgar Square – follow Nelson\u2019s left shoulder
\nSaturday is Family Day – admission for children, adults follow for free; check Web site or contact them for scheduled events
\nMonday: Architecture Tours: noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3:15 p.m. and 4:15 p.m.
\nTuesday: closed for school educational sessions
\nWednesday-Sunday: Historical Experience Tour (seven scenes in the theater concept audio visual presentation): noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3:15 p.m. and 4:15 p.m.
\nCheck their Web site for musical events and lectures
\nThe museum opened on Benjamin Franklin\u2019s 300th birthday in 2006<\/p>\n

Handel House Museum<\/a><\/strong>
\n25 Brook Street, London W1K 4HB
\n020 7495 1685
\n\"Handel<\/a>Tube: Bond Street
\nOpen: Tuesday, Wednesday; Friday, Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday noon to 6 p.m.; late night Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
\nCheck their Web site for concerts and other events<\/p>\n

For those who love Handel\u2019s music, seeing the harpsichords and reading the room descriptions inspires you to buy CDs in the shop. We walked away with three!
\nJimi Hendrix lived next door for a short time. You can see one of his rooms on the Handel visit. Concerts on Thursday night.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.<\/a>Dr. Johnson’s House<\/a><\/strong>
\n17 Gough Square, London, EC4A 3DE
\nTube: Temple, Holborn or Chancery Lane
\nOpen: 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (May to September); 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (October to April)
\nClosed: Sundays and Bank Holidays
\nCheck their Web site for special events
\n