Grecian Coffee House
Encyclopedia
The Grecian Coffee House was first established in about 1665 at Wapping Old Stairs in London
, England
, by a Greek former mariner called George Constantine. The enterprise proved a success and by 1677 Constantine had been able to move his premises to a more central location in Devereux Court, off Fleet Street
. In the 1690s the Grecian was the favoured meeting place of the opposition Whigs
, a group that included John Trenchard
, Andrew Fletcher
and Matthew Tindal
. In the early years of the eighteenth century, it was frequented by members of the Royal Society
, including Sir Isaac Newton
, Sir Hans Sloane
, Edmund Halley and James Douglas, and the poet and statesman, Joseph Addison
. Classical scholars were also said to congregate there and on one occasion two of them fought a duel in the street outside because they fell out over where to position the accent on a Greek word. By 1803, however, the Grecian was no longer the meeting place of radicals, scholars and scientists but of lawyers and it finally closed in 1843. The site is now occupied by the Devereux Public House.
The Grecian was the favourite coffee-house in London of the renowned Shakespearean
scholar Edmond Malone
. In April 1776 he wrote his father letter from there, boasting "I am at present writing in a coffee-house, in the midst of so much noise and bustle—the celebrated anti-Sejanus (Mr. Scott) on one side and Mr. [Charles] Macklin [the actor] on the other—that I can't add anything more at present."
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, by a Greek former mariner called George Constantine. The enterprise proved a success and by 1677 Constantine had been able to move his premises to a more central location in Devereux Court, off Fleet Street
Fleet Street
Fleet Street is a street in central London, United Kingdom, named after the River Fleet, a stream that now flows underground. It was the home of the British press until the 1980s...
. In the 1690s the Grecian was the favoured meeting place of the opposition Whigs
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
, a group that included John Trenchard
John Trenchard
John Trenchard is the name of:* John Trenchard * John Trenchard...
, Andrew Fletcher
Andrew Fletcher
Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun was a Scottish writer, politician, soldier and patriot. He was a Commissioner of the old Parliament of Scotland and is remembered as the leading opponent of the 1707 Act of Union between Scotland and England and an advocate of the Darién scheme, he also introduced...
and Matthew Tindal
Matthew Tindal
Matthew Tindal was an eminent English deist author. His works, highly influential at the dawn of the Enlightenment, caused great controversy and challenged the Christian consensus of his time.-Life:...
. In the early years of the eighteenth century, it was frequented by members of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
, including Sir Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
, Sir Hans Sloane
Hans Sloane
Sir Hans Sloane, 1st Baronet, PRS was an Ulster-Scot physician and collector, notable for bequeathing his collection to the British nation which became the foundation of the British Museum...
, Edmund Halley and James Douglas, and the poet and statesman, Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He was a man of letters, eldest son of Lancelot Addison...
. Classical scholars were also said to congregate there and on one occasion two of them fought a duel in the street outside because they fell out over where to position the accent on a Greek word. By 1803, however, the Grecian was no longer the meeting place of radicals, scholars and scientists but of lawyers and it finally closed in 1843. The site is now occupied by the Devereux Public House.
The Grecian was the favourite coffee-house in London of the renowned Shakespearean
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
scholar Edmond Malone
Edmond Malone
Edmond Malone was an Irish Shakespearean scholar and editor of the works of William Shakespeare.Assured of an income after the death of his father in 1774, Malone was able to give up his law practice for at first political and then more congenial literary pursuits. He went to London, where he...
. In April 1776 he wrote his father letter from there, boasting "I am at present writing in a coffee-house, in the midst of so much noise and bustle—the celebrated anti-Sejanus (Mr. Scott) on one side and Mr. [Charles] Macklin [the actor] on the other—that I can't add anything more at present."
Further reading
- Jonathan Harris, 'The Grecian coffee house and political debate in London, 1688-1714', The London Journal 25 (2000), 1-13
- Christopher Hibbert and Ben Weinreb, The London Encyclopedia, MacMillan. ISBN 0 333 57688 8
- Steve Pincus, '"Coffee Politicians does Create": Coffeehouses and Restoration Political Culture', Journal of Modern History, 67 (1995), 807-34
- Larry Stewart, 'Other centres of calculation, or, where the Royal Society didn't count: commerce, coffee-houses and natural philosophy in early modern London', British Journal for the History of Science, 32 (1999), 133-53.