Activities

Dr Johnson famously said “… when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life,” so even in his time London had much to offer and he clearly valued it. Dr Samuel Johnson was at the heart of London’s intellectual life in the second half of the 18th century and one of the great chroniclers of the city. In the 1760s he formed ‘The Club’ to bring together the cream of London’s intellectual elite. It included David Garrick, Joshua Reynolds, Edmund Burke and Adam Smith, who transformed the way people thought about theatre, art, politics and economics. But the presiding genius was Dr Johnson: wit, journalist, playwright and poet. He has been called the father of the English language, as his magisterial Dictionary laid down not just the spelling of words, but their origin and usage.

We will meet somewhere near Blackfriars at 10.30am. As preparation for our visit to the house, Tim Potter will lead a walk around the little alleys and squares behind Fleet Street where Johnson lived, worked, worshipped and drank. It will be the perfect introduction to his beautiful house and museum. Johnson (1709-1784) was a prolific writer, essayist and biographer. A Dictionary of the English Language was written at this house in Gough Square and published in 1755. The house has a collection relating to Johnson, a research library, restored interiors and a wealth of original features, and is often described by visitors as a hidden gem, a tranquil spot in the middle of the bustling City.

There will be time to have a sit-down coffee break after the walk at our own tab, for those who would like it, then proceed to the house where we will have a tour of up to an hour by one of the house guides. The house is a charming Grade I listed, 300-year-old townhouse, nestled amongst a maze of courts and alleys in the historic City of London. Admission to the house is included in the overall cost of this event.