The Devil Tavern - Fleet Street, London, UK
N 51° 30.817 W 000° 06.713
30U E 700393 N 5710898
A blue plaque indicating the site of the Devil Tavern.
Waymark Code: WMCE1F
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/27/2011
Views: 11
The plaque is on No 1 Fleet Street and reads:
"Site of / The Devil / Tavern / Demolished 1787".
The plaque is maintained in good condition.
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Its full name was “The Devil and St Dunstan”, which refers to a well-known medieval legend about the Saxon saint Dunstan, who once was a worker in gold and who became the patron saint of goldsmiths. He is usually represented carrying red-hot pincers in his right hand. The legend is that he once seized the Devil by the nose with them and refused to release him until the Devil promised never to tempt Dunstan ever again. Saint Dunstan later became Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Devil was a large, rambling building with 19 hearths (fireplaces). It was also probably the most “literary” tavern in London, and Ben Jonson seems to have moved home to be near it! John Evelyn described a gathering there in 1680 attended by 180 Members of Parliament, and John Aubrey also mentioned it in his writing. Its owner in the early part of Pepys’ Diary was John Wadlow, who is mentioned by name in the Diary. He was sufficiently important to be invited to take part in the Coronation Procession of Charles II. Wadlow owned the tavern in 1640-61, followed by Jonathon Barford (1661-68) and Richard Taylor (1668-81).
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