The Pub, an English Institution

The Kings Arm, Cartmel, Cumbria

Roman Tabernae

The role of the English pub has changed over the years, they are more than just a place to consume alcohol. We have the the Romans to thank for giving us English our first 'pubs' nearly two thousand years ago. In Roman towns tabernae served food and wine (and probably the local ale too), they displayed vine leaves outside to advertise their trade. When the Romans left, the tradition of tabernae left with them.

Medieval Alehouses

In the medieval period alehouses were ordinary dwellings where the householder served home-brewed ale and beer. If lodging for travellers was offered, this might be no more than bedding on the floor in the kitchen, or in a barn. Inns by contrast were generally purpose-built to accommodate travellers. They needed more bedrooms than the average house and substantial stabling. Some of the earliest great inns were built by monasteries in centres of pilgrimage. Taverns sold wine. Since wine was far more expensive than ale or beer, taverns catered to richer patrons who could afford it. They were restricted to towns and hugely outnumbered by alehouses. All three were social centres, but the larger inns had more scope for events. The type built with galleries around a courtyard provided an arena for plays or sports such a cockfights.

Alehouses in the Middle Ages

Just like other tradesmen of their time, inns, taverns and alehouses advertised their business with a sign hanging outside. A pole above the door, decorated with foliage, identified an alehouse. From the C14th inns and taverns displayed a pictorial sign by which they could be identified in this illiterate age. 

Georgian Alehouses

By the C16th many alehouses followed suit. The tradition has continued for licensed premises, as they were exempt from the Georgian restrictions on hanging signs. The earliest signs used motifs drawn from heraldry, but by Georgian times there was greater variety.

C18th Public Houses

By the mid-18th century larger alehouses were becoming common, while inns beside the major highways grew in grandeur and new ones sprang up in this coaching era. The term alehouse was gradually replaced by public house during the 18th century. Taverns meanwhile were being replaced by or converted into fashionable coffee houses as social centres for the wealthier classes.

Victorian Public Houses

Today, when we talk about the 'pub' it's a term invented by the ever innovative Victorians, an abbreviation of 'public house'. From the 1810s purpose-built public houses were popping up more frequently, starting here in London and then moving out to larger provincial towns. The number of pubs grew with the population. The late Victorian era saw the creation of flamboyant pub interiors, notable for their sumptuously decorated mirrors, tiled walls and etched glass.

Most housing was rented, with fewer than one in ten people owning their own home. For the working classes it was only possible to own a home if the area was prosperous and income was stable, and repayments towards ownership would be approximately 10s per month. The pub provided the lower classes a communal space in which to socialise and relax as many families lived in two-up and two-down properties providing little space.

The rent on a top-of-the-market house would cost £10 per year.A two-up, two-down with privies would cost £8 (and without was £6 or £7)A one-up, one-down back-to-back would be £2-4 a year.A bed in a common lodging house would be about £1 10s per year.

By the 1850s a new terraced house with four rooms, privy and running water would cost between 5-7s per week. This exceeded most impoverished families’ income, forcing them into lodgings or slums which were likely to be dark, dirty and have many others in the same building. Many people are shown in the census as “lodger” or “boarder” (the latter meaning they also shared meals with the family).  

The Modern Day Pub

Often a male dominated place, due to changes in the law, the pub is now a place for non-smokers and in many cases for families. The identity of the pub is re-establishing itself as the place to eat, a tradition that had all but disappeared after WWII. Many pubs provide affordable accommodation, particularly in rural areas. In remote communities pubs often serve a dual role, such as church or post office. Who knows, with all the closures of police stations in London, maybe they too can move into the local watering hole.

Gin & London - a match made in heaven

Since the Elizabethan times Gin has had a close relationship with London and I have had a close relationship with Gin over recent years, I thought it only fitting to write a few Gin related posts:

- See how Gin is made in London
- It's Gin o'clock
- Hogarth's Gin & Beer Lane

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A Quick Stop in St Albans

St Albans is a short trip from Kings Cross. Please note you can't use your Oyster card though as its one stop past Elstree & Borehamwood which is the limit of where your Oyster card is valid.

A Roman Conquest

Set your sights on a 1800 year old Roman Hypocaust which is an example of early central heating and mosaic flooring. The enclosed attraction does have opening times so should a peek through the window not be sufficient it is advisable to follow the link to their web page for more information.

Record-breaking in St Albans

Ye olde Fighting Cocks public house which features in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest pub in England. It's also close to a fantastic huge park with a lake so plenty of space for a picnic and pets!

St Albans Museum

This museum gets somewhat overlooked by it's flashier Roman cousin down in Verulamium, but it has tons of info on the history of St Albans and the surrounding area. It's well worth a look around if you have the time/inclination. The history of the sculpture was lost many generations ago, very much Stonehenge.

Christopher Place Shops 

This is the centre of the historic city centre of St Albans. There's plenty of local information dotted on boards around the area, including St Albans' shameful vote rigging past.Both the Clock Tower and the Abbey are within a few minutes walk away.

Market days are Weds and Sat. 

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Spriggan, a guardian of abandoned ruins in Crouch End

Spriggans, a guardian of abandoned ruins in Crouch End

The sculpture depicts a Spriggan - a mythical creature, usually of rather ill disposition, which is said to be a guardian of abandoned ruins, barrows and buried treasures. Sometimes Spriggans would even steal human children and leave their own ugly offspring behind, so be on guard if out walking with your kids!

This particular Spriggan is a work of an internationally acclaimed London-based sculptor, Marilyn Collins. Interestingly, it has inspired the horror writer Stephen King to write his short story Crouch End. Apparently, King was directed to the Parkland Walk by his friend, Peter Straub when he asked for a good place for a walk. Looking at the sculpture pushing its way through the wall, one can almost see how it inspired King to write a story about a different world, inhabited by demons and monsters, separated from our own only by a thin veil, which would sometimes give way, letting an unsuspecting person through to their doom.

The sculpture has also been said to be a tribute to a ghostly "goat-man" who allegedly haunted this particular area in the mid 1980s. Be as it may, local childern would still play a game of dare to walk from the Crouch End Hill bridge to the Crouch Hill bridge in the dark, past this sculpture.

It is accessible 24/7, all year round. Do you know of any other Spriggans in London?


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London Underground - Victoria Line

For many of us Londoners the tube is something which needs to be endured rather than enjoyed. Big improvements have been made to the Victoria line with new bigger and more comfortable trains with wider aisles and doors, and higher ceilings.

Victoria Line History

Funding for a deep-level “Route C” line, better known as the Victoria line, was approved back in 1955. The grand opening of the Victoria line, or “London’s Pride”,  was on 7 March 1969. Queen Elizabeth II was the first reigning monarch to take the Tube, which was the inaugural ride on the Victoria line from Green Park. 

Train Improvements

The new trains have dedicated spaces for wheelchairs and security features like CCTV in every carriage with push-button emergency alarms connecting directly to the driver. Engineering minds may be interested to know that the new trains are equipped with regenerative braking technology, which means energy is returned to the rails to be used by other trains, rather than adding to heat in the tunnels.

Service Improvements

We are all familiar with the "signal error" messages on the tube. A new state of the art signalling system has been installed for the Victoria line meaning new trains can run more quickly and closer together providing more capacity on the line. The Victoria line, as of Jan 2013, can run up to 33 trains an hour - so trains are less than two minutes apart at peak times. This is the highest ever frequency on any London Underground line. The Victoria line can now carry about 10,000 more passengers an hour overall. The Victoria line can reach speeds of up to 50mph as the stations are further apart.

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Explore The Lost River Fleet on Hampstead Heath

The route of the River Fleet, one of the Lost Rivers of London is now almost completely built over, but its path is still fascinatingly visible. Starting at the source in front of Kenwood House on Hampstead Heath the route passes through Hampstead, Kentish Town, Camden, St. Pancras, Kings Cross, Clerkenwell and Farringdon to where it can still be seen flowing into the River Thames at Blackfriars. This post is about the start of the River Fleet on Hampstead Heath. Other posts will follow it down to Blackfriars.

1. The Source of the River Fleet

Kenwood House, Hampstead Heath marks the start of the walking trail at its most northern point at an altitude of 113m above sea level. Depending on the time of year, and how wet it has been recently, you may notice that a tiny stream meanders out of a small group of trees. The near permanent wetness in the ground turns into a small stream that creates a boggy patch in the beautiful lawns in front of Kenwood House. This is the source of the emergent River Fleet. It flows into the pond which is an accumulation of water caused by damming the river. 


Hampstead Heath is a large, ancient London park, covering 320 hectares (790 acres). The area to the north of the Heath (where the source is) is the Kenwood Estate and House - a total area of 50 hectares (120 acres) which is maintained by English Heritage. The original house dates from the early 17th century. The orangery was later added in c.1700.

Walking Notes: From the source, walk back up to Kenwood House and continue down the path in front of it (heading east) until you reach a gate on the left hand side with some wooden sheds next to it. Go through that gate and continue downhill on that path.

2. Down We Go to Highgate Ponds

You are now at an altitude of 87m having dropped 26m since the source of the River Fleet. Here you can clearly see the way that the Highgate Ponds have been formed by damming the flow of the River Fleet. The two ponds here show a marked difference in elevation. Here the two sides of the valley can also been seen as the river continues its flow downhill. They were originally dug in the 17th and 18th centuries. They include two single-sex swimming pools, a model boating pond, a wildlife reserve pond and a fishing lake.

Walking Notes: From here continue downhill alongside the ponds, before crossing to the other side at the men's bathing pond. As you walk along the path alongside the men's bathing pond, if it has been wet, you may see standing water on the right hand edge of the path. This has leeched out of the upper sands on the hill, and is running into the Fleet River valley.

3. Valley View

Take a seat and look north. From here you can clearly see the valley of the River Fleet as it flows down through Hampstead Heath. There are marked valley sides to the left and right of the ponds.

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The Lost Euston Station Arch

Euston railway station, also known as London Euston is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden and is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London (by entries and exits).It is one of 18 British railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line. Euston is the main rail gateway from London to the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and part of Scotland. Its most important long-distance destinations are Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow.

The original station was opened on 20 July 1837, and was redeveloped in 1962 to the current configuration. These two entrance lodges are more or less all that remains of the original station entrance.

Redevelopment Plan. 

Euston Station is now the subject of a major redevelopment plan as the high speed line HS2 will start from here. The station will be fully redeveloped again and there are plans to restore the original Euston Station arch which originally stood in a road behind it. The Euston Arch was 70ft (21,3m) tall, was built from Yorkshire stone and complemented the Ionic entrance to the Curzon Street Station in Birmingham which was the other end of the railway's mainline.
Michael Palin is now involved in a campaign to restore the original 70ft (21.3m) arch, the stones of which were dumped in the River Lee and have have recently been found again. Read more about the restoration campaign.

The structural design for the restored arch includes a nightclub in the basement a banqueting hall in the roof and will cost £30m. It's large and will obviously make this cache difficult to retrieve if it goes ahead!

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Barocci - Brilliance and Grace Exhibition at National Gallery

Barocci (1535-1612) was one of the most celebrated painters of the late Italian Renaissance, principally a religious painter. The National Gallery's 'Barocci - Brilliance and Grace' Exhibition is open until 19 May 2013. If you are in town and have an hour or so to spare then do go to experience Barocci's masterpieces, never before seen outside Italy. 

I am no artist; my dad thought my charcoal drawing of a boot when at High School was a dog. There were a number of elements of this exhibition which told a story in way which helped me piece together much of the background of how an artist composes his work, executes it and refines it over time.

Urbino, home of Federico Barocci

Federico Barocci Facts:

• Barocci became an established artist in his thirties. 

• He rarely used live models to draw nude women e.g. in his Studies for the Virgin Mary in black and red chalk heightened with white which is most probably a young male workshop assistant.

• Cartoonchino (full scale cartoon) was Barocci's invention e.g. Il Perdono & Entombment.

• He made full worked up compositional studies just before he began to paint, to study the distribution of light and shade.

• Chalk was his favourite medium.

• Divine realm of heavenly hosts coming into a painting was another Barocci innovation.

• Barocci only produced one secular narrative painting

Through the second half of 1560s and through the 1570s, Barocci produced a series of major altarpieces for churches in Urbino, his home town, the Marches and elsewhere in central Italy which would establish his reputation.

Masterpieces in the Exhibition included:

• Madonna of the Cat (La Madonna del Gatto), 1575 NG29a
• Entombment of Christ, 1579-82
• Aeneas Fleeing Troy, 1598
• Institution of the Eucharist, 1603-9 (below)
• Self portrait, 1595-1600 (below)
• Crucifixion 1566-7
• Annunciation (L'annunciazione), 1582-4
• Visitation, 1583-6
• Last Supper, 1590-9
• Stigmatisation of Saint Francis, 1594-5
• Immaculate Conception, 1574-75

The Chiaroscuro study for the 'Institution of the Eucharist', c.1603 

This beautifully detailed study was lent by the Syndics of Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge which was acquired with contributions from the Art Fund in 2001. 

This was the first Barocci painting in Rome for 20 years and people queued for days to see it. The most significant of Barocci's 45 surviving drawings for this altarpiece have been reunited again in this exhibition, showing every step of the artist's compositional process.

Self Portrait, Barocci, 1595-1600

Barocci's biographer Bellori described him as being a 'melancholic, chronic insomniac and living with a legacy of pain' caused by his supposed poisoning in the 1560s.

The oil on paper is the same as he used to prepare heads in his narrative paintings. Perhaps he intended to include himself in one?

You might like:

Buy tickets for Barocci - Brilliance and Grace, National Galllery, London

National gallery profile page of Federico Barocci

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Federico Barocci - Aeneas Fleeing Troy, 1598

Out of all the pieces within the Barocci: Brilliance and Grace exhibition at the National Gallery, London exhibition, my favourite was the painting and studies of Aeneas Fleeing Troy, 1598 

Barocci's first version of this painting was sent from Duke Francesco Maria II to 
Emperor Rudolf II of Prague and is now lost. This version was commissioned ten years later. 

Commissioning a Painting for Political Gain

It is believed Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere presented Cardinal Scipione with this second version, which entered the Borghese collection before 1613. It was this painting that inspired Cardinal Scipione to commission a large marble group on the same subject from one of my favourite Italian artists, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The myth of Aeneas, ancestor of Romulus and Remus, referred to the birth of Rome and thus confirmed the Borghese family's high status in the city.

The Story of Troy

For anyone who is aware of the story of Troy the scene is familiar; Aeneas, the Trojan hero, son of Prince Anchises and the Goddess Aphrodite, flees from the burning fallen town of Troy with the assistance of Aphrodite, Apollo and Poseidon. Aeneas is destined to become king of the Trojan people. He kills 28 people in the Trojan War, and his career during that war is retold by Roman historian Gaius Julius Hyginus.

In the painting Aeneas carries his father and leads his son Ascanius to safety. To the right, Creusa, daughter of Priam and first wife of Aeneas.

Painting Fire

Never before had flames been painted so close to, with an energy suggesting even the crackle of the fire, from which Ascanius seems to be protecting himself by covering his ears. 

Barocci's Studies for Aeneas Fleeing Troy

Surrounding the painting were numerous studies. Barocci kept meticulous records for future replication.The head of Anchises was lent for the Exhibition by Her Majesty the Queen. It has only been recently recognised to be Barocci's original due to the obscuring yellow varnish. 

You may like:

Federico Barocci - The Madonna of the Cat

Federico Barocci - The Entombment of Christ

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Federico Barocci - The Madonna of the Cat

The Madonna of the Cat (La Madonna del Gatto)

c. 1575, The National Gallery, London

An easel painting in a domestic setting of the Holy Family, a cosy setting of the Virgin Mary breastfeeding baby Jesus. John the Baptist a young boy, teasing the cat with a pet goldfinch. Mary's flushed cheeks highlighting the virgin's eternal tenderness. It is believed the painting was made for Count Antonio Brancaleoni, who lived near Perugia, Italy. 

Perugia, Italy

Symbolism

The tension between the goldfinch and bird symbolises the battle between good and evil of which only Jesus can save. Baby Jesus is watching his cousin teasing the cat.

A goldfinch has a red head, symbolising a drop of blood from Jesus wearing his crown of thorns. Goldfinches are commonly kept and bred in captivity around the world because of their distinctive appearance and melodic song. 

Other works of art which include this symbol is Madonna of the Goldfinch, painted (c. 1505-1506) by Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino and Madonna and Child by Cima da Conegliano.

You may also like:

Federico Barocci - The Entombment of Christ

Federico Barocci - Aeneas Fleeing Troy, 1598

The Madonna of the Cat page, National Gallery Page


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Federico Barocci - The Entombment of Christ

Barocci's The Entombment of Christ, (1579-82) was made as an altarpiece for a church of the Marchigian seaside town of Senigallia, Italy and has never before left Italy before the Barocci: Brilliance and Grace exhibition at the National Gallery, London. 

Image of Church of the Cross, Senigallia by http://www.juzaphoto.com

The picture shows the crucified Christ being carried by St. John the Evangelist, Nicodemus, and Joseph. The Virgin Mary watches sorrowfully in the background physically showing the weight she is bearing for losing her child. Mary Magdalene kneels in prayer in the foreground next to three blooded nails and the recently worn crown of thorns. Christ's sarcophagus is being cleaned, in preparation for him. Barocci depicts life even in death using colour and movement with the main  message being there is no suffering in death.

Barocci captured the strain of carrying Christ's body and the movement by the fluttering of the clothes worn, particularly by St John, and the white tissue in the background. 

Barocci's reputation was founded on his altar pieces, commissioned for churches around the town of Urbino, where he was born, and also in Rome. 

Barocci, a victim of his own success

25 years after its completion Barocci was forced to repair the altarpiece due to it being ruined by other artists tracing the outlines to make copies for themselves.

You may like:

Federico Barocci - The Madonna of the Cat

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Underground Art - Victoria Line

London has been the home of the largest, most extensive decorative tiling project ever undertaken in Britain. The tiling of over ninety tube platforms and associated passage ways, staircases and surface-level booking halls, probably amounted to the largest single creation of decorative art on public display - and probably the longest and thinnest art gallery anywhere. Here are my favourite and perhaps less obvious tile motifs on the Victoria Line.




Platform motif - a maze like warren


Warren Street Underground Station

Half way down the Victoria line is Euston Road station which is was re-named in 1908 to Warren Street. The station is host to the Northern and Victoria lines. The Victoria Line platforms opened on 1 December 1968.
Did you know?

The doors for trains on all four platforms at Warren Street open on the left hand-side. This is due to the right-hand running on the Victoria line.




Stockwell Swan by Abram Games


Stockwell Underground Station

Even though there isn't much to see and enjoy on street level in the area this tile motif by Abram Games makes up for it. It's quite easily to see a random blue and white tile pattern rather than the swan in the centre. The swan is a nod to the Swan pub opposite the tube station. Like Warren Street station, Stockwell tube station services both the Northern and Victoria lines.

Did you know?

Stockwell is the southernmost London underground station that serves more than one line.





Seven Sisters Underground Platform Motif

Seven Sisters Station

The seven tree tiles show recognition to how the area was named, In the first ordinance survey map published in in 1805 this area was known as Seven Sisters. It had previously been known as Page Greene and can be tracked on maps dating back to 1619. The new name was derived from seven elm trees having been planted in a circle with a walnut tree in the centre the common land known as Page Greene.


In his early C17th work, Brief Description of Tottenham, local vicar and historian William Bedwell described the walnut tree as a local 'arboreal wonder' which 'flourished without growing bigger' being popularly associated with the burning of an unnamed Protestant.

Did you know?

Seven Sisters has a disused platform





Kings Cross Platform Tile Motif



Kings Cross Station

Victoria line began 1 December 1968, five years after the station's main opening. King’s Cross-St. Pancras station is the most connected London Underground station with connections to 6 lines, over half of London’s underground lines. On top of that, it serves two National rail stations (from where it gets its rather unwieldy name). Both stations have undergone major refurbishment. (blog post to follow shortly)


Official site for Art on the underground

Official site for Abram Games


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Romantic places to say in the UK - Coombe Abbey

Coombe Abbey was originally a C12th Cistercian Abbey nestling in England's historic heartland in Warwickshire. It has now been restored to its former glory but now as a hotel. It's  set within 500 acres of breathtaking parkland.

Romancing at Coombe Abbey

Enjoy a romantic break in a Feature Bedchamber - Dinner, Bed & Breakfast with Champagne, Chocolates and Flowers

Sweep a loved one off their feet with a luxurious break in the Warwickshire countryside. Indulge and romance your loved one from arrival with Champagne, Chocolates and Flowers in one of our Feature Bedchambers. Enjoy a fine three-course dinner in our elegant Garden Room Restaurant followed by a continental/cooked breakfast the next day.

Full of wonder and intrigue, Coombe Abbey promises a stay you will never forget.

Dining at Coombe Abbey

We would like to invite you to enjoy the lavish, elegant and grandeur of Coombe Abbey by celebrating a birthday or anniversary on the actual date with a three course dinner in the splendour of our Garden Restaurant between Monday to Thursday.
Subtle lighting, lavish furnishings, unobtrusive yet attentive service makes the Restaurant truly memorable. The menu offers classical dishes with an original twist, with a fine selection of wines from our extensive cellars available to complement meals
Smart/casual

Our Sunday lunch selections change on a weekly basis, rotating between four delicious menus. This means you can come time and time again and never have the same thing twice. (Please call to enquire which menu is available the week you come to dine.)

Coombe abbey menus

A La Carte

An A La Carte menu is launched four times throughout the year, with exquisite courses selected to best match each season.

Dessert Menu

Finish your meal with something sweet! Treat yourself to something sweet and scrumptious from the dessert menu. I was happy to find that compte was available on the cheeseboard.

Wine & Champagne

Coombe Abbey's cellars boast the widest array of wine and Champagne selections. With something for every course and occasion.

Visit Coombe Abbey website

Quick Fish Risotto Recipe

Quick Fish Risotto Recipe

Risotto has had a reputation for being high maintenance, chaining the cook to the hob, forcing them to stir incessantly until the risotto is ready. This recipe slashes the myth, allowing time to put together a fresh green salad and pour a nice crisp white wine.

Take 20 mins
Serves 4

Quick Fish Risotto Ingredients:

1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 vegetable or fish stock cube
250g risotto rice
250g smoked cod/haddock, skinned and cut into chunks
large cupful of frozen peas
knob of salted butter
1 lemon cut into 8 wedges

Quick Fish Risotto Method:

1. Put the oven and garlic in a large heatproof non-metallic bowl with stock cube and 300ml boiling water.
2. Stir well, then cover and microwave on High for 3 mins.
3. Stir the fish and peas into the rice and another 300ml boiling water.
4. Cover and microwave on High for 4 mins. If rice not cooked pop on for another minute. 
5. Leave to stand for 1-2 mins for liquid to be absorbed.
6. Stir in butter and serve with lemon wedges, fresh green salad and a crisp white wine.

Other quick recipes:

Spelt with onions and tomatoes

Bedouin Pizza / Araies Iahma Recipe

Middle Eastern Dinner Party Ideas & Recipes

Kasbat Dijaj

When hosting dinner parties I do find that having everything ready at the same time for all 3 courses can be a little too stressful for my liking. I find myself spending more time plating up rather than being with my guests. The great thing about Mezze in Middle Eastern cooking is that they are designed to be shared and don't necessarily have to be on the table at the exact time. This adds a nice relaxed environment to a dinner party and can be a great option for buffets and parties.

When I was in Jordan last February I attended a cookery class at Petra Kitchen. I didn't learn any new cookery skills but I did learn to put together a fabulous meal fit for a Middle Eastern King.

Soup

Lentil Soup Recipe - Petra Kitchen Recipe

Hot & Cold Mezza

Tahini Salad Recipe - Petra Kitchen Recipe
Baba Ganuj Recipe - Petra Kitchen Recipe
Cucumber with yoghurt recipe - Petra Kitchen Recipe
Hommos/Hummus Recipe - Petra Kitchen Recipe
Galaya Bandura - Petra Kitchen Recipe

Mains

Kasbat Dijaj - Petra Kitchen Recipe
Bedouin Pizza Recipe

Bedouin Pizza, Morocco

Hogarth's Beer Street and Gin Lane Engravings

Hogarth is the unquestioned father of England's rich tradition of satire and remains one of the most original and lively minds in the entire history of British art. Famous for his paintings, Hogarth's engravings are even more paramount: the imagery from The Harlot's Progress, Marriage a la Mode, The Four Stages of Cruelty, Gin Lane and a host of others which are crucial to an understanding of C18th art and culture. 

It has been suggested that Hogarth's art stretched far beyond his time and that his masterful engravings are as relevant to our society as they were to his (Think of any UK City Centre on a Saturday night).

Gin Lane shows shocking scenes of infanticide, starvation, madness, decay and suicide, while Beer Street depicts industry, health, bonhomie and thriving commerce, but there are contrasts and subtle details that some critics believe allude to the prosperity of Beer Street as the cause of the misery found in Gin Lane.

William Hogarth's Gin Lane and Beer Street Engravings side by side, 1750

William Hogarth, 1697-1764

Hogarth's etching of Gin Lane takes me back to Secondary School History classes. It is arguably one of his most famous works of engraved art. The well known scene is set in the poverty-stricken area to the north of Covent Garden which can be identified by the tower of St George's, Bloomsbury in the background. Gin Lane addressed a very real problem in mid eighteenth century England -- the abuse of spirits by the working classes and the poor.

Gin had been considered to be the plague of London in the first half of the C18th. Controls on consumption were lifted at the turn of the century and stills proliferated with the result that by 1750 more than one in six houses in this part of London sold gin. Gin was said to be responsible for a lowering of the birth rate and an increase in infant mortality and despite immigration to London the population began to fall.

Hogarth's Beer Street

The rest of the scene is populated with doughty and good-humoured English workers. The only business that is in trouble is the pawnbroker: Mr Pinch lives in the one poorly-maintained, crumbling building in the picture, a direct contract to Mr Gripe in Gin Lane. The rest of the scene is populated with doughty and good-humoured English workers. The inhabitants of both Beer Street and Gin Lane are drinking rather than working, but in Beer Street the workers are resting after their labours—all those depicted are in their place of work or have their wares or the tools of their trade about them-while in Gin Lane the people drink instead of working.

Beer Street is a celebration of Englishness depicting the benefits of the nourishment of the native beer. No foreign influences pollute what is a fiercely nationalistic image. An early impression showed a scrawny Frenchman being ejected from the scene by the burly blacksmith who in later prints holds aloft a leg of mutton or ham.
Failure of Parliament

When it became apparent that copious gin consumption was causing social problems, efforts were made to control the production of the spirit. Parliament passed Acts of 1736 and 1743 which were ineffective. A new campaign in 1750 was launched - of which Hogarth's print was a part - leading to the Gin Act of 1751 which introduced licensing of retail premises and finally reduced consumption. Various loopholes were exploited to avoid the taxes, including selling gin under pseudonyms such as "Ladies' Delight", "Bob", "Cuckold's Delight" and the none-too-subtle "Parliament gin".

Hogarth's Gin Lane Etching

In the etching In the right foreground, an emaciated ballad singer has just passed away, recalling the medieval figure of death. His left hand still clutches his bottle. A half-naked drunken woman fails to notice that her child is falling to its death in front of the Gin Royal Tavern. Beyond, a craftsman pawns the tools of his trade and a woman her cooking pots highlighting how important Gin had become to them in their lives compared to everything else. The sour faced pawn broker is appropriately named, "S. Gripe". Both his wealthy home and clothes stand in direct contrast to the ruination around. Only pawn brokers, coffin makers and distillers profit in such a society.

Also in this detailed engraving you can see a boy sleeping while a snail crawls on to his shoulder, another boy shares a bone with a dog, a baby is impaled, the lame and the blind fight each other and everyone drinks gin, from babies to young charity girls (identifiable by their uniform caps and aprons and the badges on their sleeves). An old woman confined to a wheelbarrow, an early version of a wheelchair?

Various scenes of mayhem fill the street in the behind the main figures. Murder and other forms of unacceptable violence seem to be common. Above, a unmaintained building is about to collapse. In the ruins of another house (to the right) a man has committed suicide by hanging. Below him, the 'Kilman Distiller' has made a thriving trade by selling its gin to school children.

Hogarth's Gin Lane, published in 1750, had the intended immediate impact. During the same year it was published, parliament passed the Gin act which regulated the sale of alcohol. The middle classes would have seen the pictures as a straight comparison of "good" and "evil" while the lower classes would have seen the connection between the prosperity of Beer Street and the poverty of Gin Lane.

Other Gin related blog posts:

- It's Gin o'clock
- See how Gin is made in London
- The start of the Georgians

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