It is with the words of John Keats that we begin an exploration of the story of booze and the Borough.
'O for a draught of vintage! that hath been
Cool’d a long age in the deep-delved earth,
Tasting of Flora and the country green,
Dance, and Provençal song, and sunburnt mirth.'
Ode to a Nightingale - John Keats
The Borough is redolent of beer and wine, of hops and hospitality. Stroll down Borough High Street where coaches, travellers clutching to their roofs, erupted from narrow entranceways, setting off at first light into Kent.
Hop factors and warehouses evoke laden wagons arriving from Kent, Sussex and Surrey. A memorial lists hopworkers of the area lost to the First World War; the local trade itself was to follow them.
This tour tells of one of London’s largest breweries, and of a very dangerous umbrella. Above all, it celebrates the links between the Borough and booze!
We are delighted that our tour will, once again, be led by Dr David Charnick PhD, a qualified City of London Guide and a member of the City of London Guide Lecturers Association.
This is a virtual tour hosted live via Zoom video conferencing, where David will show slides and give a talk to accompany them. There will be the opportunity for questions both during and after the talk.
Tickets are £12 per person - this includes the cost of the event and a donation to CLWCA.
Photo: Site of Barclay Perkins Brewery - © David Charnick 2020
Details about how to access this virtual event will be shared with attendees on the day.
All event bookings are subject to our standard terms and conditions, which you can read here.