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Boar's Head Inn
Encyclopedia
The Boar's Head Inn may refer to a number of former taverns in London
, of which the following are the most famous:
The Boar's Head Inn may also refer to a hotel
and resort
located in Charlottesville, Virginia
. Owned by the University of Virginia
, it is likely that it was named after the London establishments.
There is also a Boar's Head Pub located at 161 Ontario Street, in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Stratford is noted for its long running annual Shakespeare Festival and its Shakespeare-themed street names, restaurants, hotels, and craft shops.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, of which the following are the most famous:
- The Boar's Head Tavern, on EastcheapEastcheapEastcheap is a street in the City of London. Its name derives from cheap, market, with the prefix "East" distinguishing it from the other former City of London market of Westcheap . In medieval times Eastcheap was the City's main meat market, with butchers' stalls lining both sides of the street...
, featured in historical plays of Shakespeare as a favourite of the fictional character FalstaffFalstaffSir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare. In the two Henry IV plays, he is a companion to Prince Hal, the future King Henry V. A fat, vain, boastful, and cowardly knight, Falstaff leads the apparently wayward Prince Hal into trouble, and is...
and his friends. It was the subject of essays by Oliver GoldsmithOliver GoldsmithOliver Goldsmith was an Irish writer, poet and physician known for his novel The Vicar of Wakefield , his pastoral poem The Deserted Village , and his plays The Good-Natur'd Man and She Stoops to Conquer...
and Washington IrvingWashington IrvingWashington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works...
. Established before 1537, but destroyed in 1666 in the Great Fire of LondonGreat Fire of LondonThe Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall...
, it was soon rebuilt, and continued operation until some point in the late 18th Century. What remained of the building was demolished in 1831.
- The Boar's Head InnBoar's Head TheatreThe Boar's Head Theatre was an inn-yard theatre in London from 1598 to around 1616. During its lifetime as a playhouse, it was home to the Earl of Derby's Men , the Earl of Worcester's Men , and Prince Charles' Men ; the historian Herbert Berry suggests that many...
, at WhitechapelWhitechapelWhitechapel is a built-up inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, England. It is located east of Charing Cross and roughly bounded by the Bishopsgate thoroughfare on the west, Fashion Street on the north, Brady Street and Cavell Street on the east and The Highway on the...
, the courtyard of which was used to stage playsInn-yard theatreIn the historical era of English Renaissance drama, an Inn-yard theatre or Inn-theatre was a common inn that provided a venue for the presentation of stage plays.-Beginnings:...
from 1557 onwards. It was refurbished in 1598-99.
- The Boar's Head Inn, at SouthwarkSouthwarkSouthwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...
, owned by Sir John Fastolf
The Boar's Head Inn may also refer to a hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
and resort
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
located in Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
. Owned by the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, it is likely that it was named after the London establishments.
There is also a Boar's Head Pub located at 161 Ontario Street, in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Stratford is noted for its long running annual Shakespeare Festival and its Shakespeare-themed street names, restaurants, hotels, and craft shops.
External links
- Discussion of the Eastcheap tavern by Henry C. Shelley
- "Reverie at the Boar's Head" by Oliver Goldsmith