It is famous as a centre of literary and artistic London between the 1920s and the 1950s, and was a favourite drinking haunt of the likes of Dylan Thomas, Augustus John and George Orwell.
Nowadays, the pub is still going strong and is a popular after-work drinking spot in the local area. It is also home to the Pear Shaped Comedy Club, which is run downstairs every Wednesday.
For more, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitzroy_Tavern
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Great choice of pubs! Mind you, being a favourite drinking site of Dylan Thomas was not much of a recommendation. He apparently would drink in the gutter from a bottle with a straw, if necessary :)
ReplyDeleteBut I would have loved to have raised a glass or three with Jacob Epstein and George Bernard Shaw.
You should also include a mention of Nina Hamnett if you’re going to cover the Fitzroy. She was a fixture of the place for over twenty years, telling people stories about the famous artists she knocked about with in return for drinks. I shall let Denise Hooker have the last word, from her excellent biography:
ReplyDelete"On a good night, with the right company and a suitable amount of alcohol, Nina was very amusing. She was always on show, always playing to the crowd, and at her best she gave command performances. With a little too much to drink she could be disconcerting – as when she would boast that Modigliani said she had the best tits in Europe and pull up her old jersey to show them off."
Nice choice but in the summer this place is always heaving, and I never find Sam Smiths ales that refreshing. I personally prefer The Marquis of Granby - but Im not sure that has much history!
ReplyDeleteI work right round the corner from here, and I am going there at lunch. The only way to survive a Monday is to get back on the beers!
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