Dr Johnson's House
Dr Johnson's House in London is a former home of the 18th-century English writer and lexicographer Samuel Johnson.
Built in 1700 by wool merchant Richard Gough[1] (died 1728)[2] it is a rare example of a house of its era which survives in the City of London (this refers only to the 'Square Mile' of the City area, as there are many other houses of this period elsewhere in Greater London) and is the only one of Johnson's 18 residences in the City to survive.[3][4] Five bays wide and five stories high,[4] it is located at No. 17, Gough Square, a small L-shaped court, now pedestrianised, in a tangle of ancient alleyways just to the north of Fleet Street.[2]
Johnson lived and worked in the house from 1748 to 1759, paying a rent of £30, and he compiled his famous A Dictionary of the English Language there.[4][3] In the 19th century, it saw use as a hotel, a print shop and a storehouse.[1] In 1911, it was purchased by newspaper magnate and politician Cecil Harmsworth, who later commented: "At the time of my purchase of the house in April 1911, it presented every appearance of squalor and decay … It is doubtful whether in the whole of London there existed a more forlorn or dilapidated tenement."[5][3] He restored the house and opened it to the public in 1914.[1][3] It is now operated by a charitable trust, Dr. Johnson's House Trust Ltd.[1]
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. It house has a blue plaque installed on its exterior by the Royal Society of Arts in 1876.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d "Dr Johnson's House – History". Dr Johnson's House Trust. 2006. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ^ a b Christopher Hibbert; Ben Weinreb; John Keay; Julia Keay (2011). The London Encyclopaedia (3rd ed.). Pan Macmillan. p. 334. ISBN 0-230-73878-8.
- ^ a b c d Christopher Hibbert; Ben Weinreb; John Keay; Julia Keay (2011). The London Encyclopaedia (3rd ed.). Pan Macmillan. pp. 443–444. ISBN 0-230-73878-8.
- ^ a b c Henry Hitchings (2012). Dr Johnson's Dictionary: The Book that Defined the World. Hachette. ISBN 1-84854-718-8.
- ^ Andrew Davies (1988). Literary London. Macmillan. p. 235. ISBN 0-333-45708-0.
- ^ "JOHNSON, Dr Samuel (1709-1784)". English Heritage. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
Further reading
- Cecil Harmsworth; Helen Reid Cross; Daphne Macneile Dixon; Claudine Currey (1977). Dr. Johnson's house: Gough Square (revised ed.). Trustees of Dr. Johnson's House.
External links
- Official website
- Four steps in the history of museum technologies and visitors' digital participation
- Images of Dr Johnson's House at the English Heritage Archive
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- Houses in the City of London
- History of the City of London
- Biographical museums in London
- Literary museums in London
- Historic house museums in London
- Museums in the City of London
- Houses completed in 1700
- Museums established in 1914
- 1914 establishments in England
- Samuel Johnson
- Grade I listed houses
- Grade I listed buildings in London