Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
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Hercules Pillars Alley can be seen on this 18th century map, on the south side of Fleet Street, south west of St Dunstan’s.
http://www.motco.com/Map/81002/SeriesSearchPlatesFulla.asp?mode=query&title=Fleet+Street+in+Sheet+F1+&artist=384&other=316&x=11&y=11 -
23 mentions in the Diary from October 1660 to April 1669.
It was also used by the famous philosopher John Lock - he was almost exactly the same age as Pepys so perhaps they bumped into each other there a few times.
The Hercules Pillars was built during the reign of James I and stood on the south side of the road at Number 27 Fleet Street, nearly opposite St Dunstan’s Church. The owner was an Edward Oldham from before 1657 to at least 1674.
There were some drinks sold here that even contemporary Londoners considered to be strange, for instance ‘wormwood ale’ and ‘scurry grass ale’.
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Literary History of the second Pillars of Hercules
Lacking the heritage of Our Sam or John Locke, the present Pillars of Hercules pub at 7 Greek Street in Soho must make do with more recent worthies …
“Referred to by Charles Dickens in ‘A Tale of Two Cities,’ there has been a Pillars of Hercules on this site since 1733, the present pub dating from 1910, although it’s stylised to look much older. …”
— Source: http://ultimatepubguide.com/pubs/info.phtml?pub_id=243“A rather grand name for what is basically a tatty little old boozer, albiet a very likable one. … Dickens referred to it in ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ and one of the characters from that book, Dr Manette, was celebrated by the naming of Manette Street — the road at the side of the pub through the arch. …
“[T]his place has a pleasantly scruffy feel. … Literary lovies such as Martin Amis, Julian Barnes and Ian McEwan … were all once regulars here.”
Source:
http://www.professorharbottle.co.uk/pub/londonwestend/pillars.html -
Re: Wormwood ale:
Strange as it may sound, the use of Wormwood in drinks is quite common. The French name for wormwood is Absinthe, and the Italian is Vermouth: two very well known alcoholic concoctions. -
Re: Wormwood ale: I tort it was water from the nick in west London {‘ammersmidt}:
Now I find out that Grahamt is wright -
Perhaps “Wormwood Scrubs” was an area where wormwood grew, before they built the prison?
Here’s why Wormwood ale existed:
“With the exception of Rue, Wormwood is the bitterest herb known, but it is very wholesome and used to be in much request by brewers for use instead of hops. “
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/w/wormwo37.html -
Wormwood=vermouth=Wermot(German)
Originally a German concoction specific vs. intestinal worms. Absinthe is an infusion of wormwood containing “tujone”-a habit forming, psychoactive substance. Vermouth contains no tujone. -
Scurvy grass ale
This seems to have been not so very unheard of: sailors used it for treating scurvy, maybe they even took some with them on their voyages ?
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From Henry Shelley’s “Inns and Taverns of Old London” http://www.ibiblio.org/gutenberg/etext04/nntvl10.txt —
By far the most outstanding feature of the Fleet Street of to-day is the number and variety of its newspaper offices; two centuries ago it had a vastly different aspect.
“From thence, along that tipling street,
Distinguish’d by the name of Fleet,
Where Tavern-Signs hang thicker far,
Than Trophies down at Westminster;
And ev’ry Bacchanalian Landlord
Displays his Ensign, or his Standard,
Bidding Defiance to each Brother,
As if at Wars with one another.”How thoroughly the highway deserved the name of “tipling street” may be inferred from the fact that its list of taverns included but was not exhausted by the Devil, the King’s Head, the Horn, the Mitre, the Cock, the Bolt-in-Tun, the Rainbow, the Cheshire Cheese, Hercules Pillars, the Castle, the Dolphin, the Seven Stars, Dick’s, Nando’s, and Peele’s.