The Tourist Information UK website [visit
link] tells us:
"Dr. Johnson's House, built in
1700, is a former home of the 18th century English writer Samuel Johnson. It was
here that he compiled the first comprehensive English Dictionary. The house is a
rare example of a house of its era which survives in the City of London. It is
located in a small pedestrianised court in a tangle of ancient alleyways which
are a reminder of historic London.
The house features paneled rooms, a
pine staircase, and a collection of period furniture, prints and portraits.
There are exhibitions about Johnson's life and work."
The Dr Johnson's House website [visit link] tells us:
"Dr Johnson's House is a charming
300-year-old townhouse, nestled amongst a maze of courts and alleys in the
historic City of London. Samuel Johnson, the writer and wit, lived and
worked here in the middle of the eighteenth century, compiling his great
Dictionary of the English Language in the Garret.
Today, the House is open to the
public with a collection relating to Johnson, a research library, restored
interiors and a wealth of original features. Often described by visitors as a
hidden gem, 17 Gough Square is a tranquil spot in the midst of the bustling
City."
It also [visit link] tells us
about Dr Johnson:
"Samuel Johnson was born in 1709 in
Lichfield, Staffordshire. The son of a bookseller, he rose to become one of the
greatest literary figures of the eighteenth century, most famously compiling A
Dictionary of the English Language.
Poverty and illness followed
Johnson for much of his life. He contracted scrofula (also known as the King’s
Evil) as a baby, which resulted in poor hearing and eyesight and left him
noticeably scarred. Johnson attended the local grammar school in Lichfield and
went on to Pembroke College, Oxford. However, he was to leave after just 13
months as his parents could no longer afford the fees. In 1735, he married a
widow, Elizabeth Porter, and set up a school at Edial; it failed within months.
With this behind him, Johnson took one of the few remaining pupils - the
soon-to-be star of the London stage, David Garrick - and walked to the capital
to seek fame and fortune. Johnson worked as a hack writer for many years,
writing and editing articles for Edward Cave’s Gentleman’s Magazine. He received
some critical success with his early poem London (1738) and his biography of the
wayward poet, Richard Savage (1744) but Johnson’s big opportunity came in 1746
with the commission to write the Dictionary. Johnson lived in 17 different
places in London, but moved to Gough Square in order to work on the Dictionary,
which was finally published in 1755. From then on Johnson’s fame was assured and
he was known as 'Dictionary Johnson', although he still suffered some financial
difficulty.
Johnson’s written work was immense
and varied. He completed a critical edition of the works of William Shakespeare
and created biographies and critical appraisals of 52 English poets of the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries for his Lives of the Poets. He also wrote
literary criticism and was a prolific essayist, for two years being the almost
sole contributor to The Rambler, as well as writing for The Idler and The
Adventurer.
Johnson gained a pension from
George III in 1762, allowing him a more comfortable lifestyle. He could now
spend more time travelling and talking: Johnson was well known for his robust
character and challenging and often hilarious conversation. He was a sociable
man, being a member of several Clubs and his circle of friends included the
painter Sir Joshua Reynolds, the literary hostess Hester Thrale and the writer
Oliver Goldsmith. Johnson’s life inspired many biographies, the most famous of
which, by his great friend, the Scottish lawyer James Boswell, was published in
1791.
Today, according to The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, Johnson is the
second most-quoted Englishman. A topical reference guide to his quotations can
be found here. He most famously said ‘...when a man is tired of London, he is
tired of life’."