In 1866, the pub was described thus – “A small public house or rather a tap of a wholesale wine and spirit business…a warehouse or barn without floorboards – a low ceiling, with cobweb festoons dangling from the black rafters – a pewter bar battered and dirty, floating with beer – numberless gas pipes tied anyhow along the struts and posts to conduct the spirits from the barrels to the taps – sample phials and labelled bottles of wine and spirits on shelves – everything covered with virgin dust and cobwebs.”
Dirty Dick’s was rebuilt in the 1870s, though the cellars are from an earlier time. The pub was also renowned for displaying some strange artefacts, including a number of dead cats. Some artefacts are now displayed in a glass cabinet.
Image: Bishopsgate Institute
Image: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
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