George and Vulture
Encyclopedia
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
in Castle Court, near Lombard Street
Lombard Street, London
Lombard Street is a street in the City of London.It runs from the corner of the Bank of England at its north-west end, where it meets a major junction including Poultry, King William Street, and Threadneedle Street, south-east to Gracechurch Street....
, City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
. There has been an inn on the site since 1268.
It was said to be a meeting place of the notorious Hell-Fire Club and is now a revered City chop house.
It is mentioned at least 20 times in The Pickwick Papers
The Pickwick Papers
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club is the first novel by Charles Dickens. After the publication, the widow of the illustrator Robert Seymour claimed that the idea for the novel was originally her husband's; however, in his preface to the 1867 edition, Dickens strenuously denied any...
by Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
, who frequently drank there himself. The George and Vulture has been the headquarters of the City Pickwick Club since its foundation. When threatened with demolition Cedric Charles Dickens
Cedric Charles Dickens
Cedric David Charles Dickens , author and businessman, was the last surviving great-grandson of British author Charles Dickens and steward of his literary legacy.-Biography:...
, the author's great-grandson, campaigned to save it. Since 1950 it has been the home of his Dickens Pickwick Club and, in the same year, it became the venue for the annual Christmas Day Dickens Family
Dickens family
The Dickens family are the descendants of John Dickens, the father of the English novelist Charles Dickens. The descendants of Charles Dickens include the novelist Monica Dickens, the writer Lucinda Dickens Hawksley and the actors Harry Lloyd and Brian Forster....
gathering in the Dickens Room.
It is since 1995 also the chosen venue for annual Christmas lunch of the Swedish Bankers of London.
The George and Vulture is a Grade 2 listed building
External links
- Guide to the 'George and Vulture'
- Charles Dickens London - The George And Vulture
- Hackney' Listed Buildings
- http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/our_services/development_planning/planning_apps/register/data/26/2611.htm Corporation of London Extract from the Planning Register]