I’ve made a small addition to my ‘Thy name? Thy quality?’ page recently, talking briefly about my choice of the tavern’s name for my site title. In the course of this I was wonderfully surprised to find …
… this essay by Washington Irving about his attempt to find out Shakespeare’s fanous tavern whilst in London in the early 19th century. It’s recounted with the understated, avuncular humour of his ‘Legend of Sleepy Hollow‘, which is one of my all-time favourite stories.
‘I at length arrived in merry Eastcheap, that ancient region of wit and wassail, where the very names of the streets relished of good cheer’ Washington Irving
I’m a little sad that Irving didn’t quite find the Eastcheap he was looking for, but very grateful he made and recorded the attempt!
The Boar's Head, Eastcheap 