Dickens and the Cittie of Yorke

Cittie of Yorke
@Ronrybs (21492)
London, England
April 13, 2016 2:38pm CST
I can't say, hand on heart, that Charles Dickens ever drank in the Cittie of Yorke pub, on High Holborn. But it wasn't too far away from his home. This is the pub that David Copperfield visits when looking for his friend Tommy Traddles, so perhaps Dickens was familiar with it. There has been a pub on the site since 1430, but when it became unsafe it was rebuilt in 1923 reusing some of the original materials. Containing one of the longest bars in Britain, that was formerly known as Henneky's Long Bar. Henneky were wine merchants who also owned five pubs, that were sold in 1960s and then sold on again to Samuel Smith's in the 70s. The Long Bar has several vats from which Henneky's bottled wines and spirits. Along one side of the bar are several booths which used to have swing doors so that lawyers and their clients could talk in privacy. There are a few more photographs of the Cittie of Yorke on Flickr
A view of the main entrance, off High Holborn, to the Cittie of Yorke pub, one of Charles Dickens' watering holes. The Cellar Bar doesn't open until 6PM.
5 people like this
5 responses
@peavey (16936)
• United States
13 Apr 16
That's cool! Knowing the scenes behind the stories is always interesting. Dickens is one of my favorite authors.
2 people like this
@Ronrybs (21492)
• London, England
14 Apr 16
I've read very little of his stuff, but am fascinated by the London of his time. It has keep me typing, photographing and walking for a long while
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@peavey (16936)
• United States
14 Apr 16
@Ronrybs I can understand that. How people lived back then in places like London is very interesting. If you find some time, try reading some of his short stories. Of course, "A Christmas Carol" is his most famous, but there are others you may very well enjoy.
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@CRK109 (14556)
• United States
14 Apr 16
Oh how wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
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@Ronrybs (21492)
• London, England
14 Apr 16
It was good, had an atmosphere all of its own.
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@gudheart (12659)
14 Apr 16
Shame it is not located near to you. Maybe you can move closer to it one day!
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@Ronrybs (21492)
• London, England
14 Apr 16
It was rather good, but I like the idea of an occasional visit
@JohnRoberts (109841)
• Los Angeles, California
13 Apr 16
Are there societies devoted to the history of pubs?
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@Ronrybs (21492)
• London, England
14 Apr 16
There is a lot of stuff online, many pubs have their histories online and use it as a selling point. There are a couple of sites dedicated to pub history, but there are many more pubs than histories
@teamfreak16 (43663)
• Denver, Colorado
13 Apr 16
Looks like a cool pub. In Downtown Denver, there is a bar that Jack Kerouac hung out in. I have yet to get in there.
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@teamfreak16 (43663)
• Denver, Colorado
14 Apr 16
@Ronrybs - I have no idea why I never went while I lived up there.
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@Ronrybs (21492)
• London, England
14 Apr 16
@teamfreak16 I find it is only after we leave that we realise all the things we should have done!
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@Ronrybs (21492)
• London, England
14 Apr 16
You need to pop in and write a little piece on it. Any excuse, I say!
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