A historical site about early London coffee houses and taverns and will also link to my current pub history site and also the London street directory
DOLLY'S, PATERNOSTER ROW.
This noted tavern, established in the reign of Queen Anne, has for its sign, the
cook Dolly, who is stated to have been painted by Gainsborough. It is still a
well-appointed chop-house and tavern, and the coffee-room, with its projecting
fireplaces, has an olden air. Nearly on the site of Dolly's, Tarlton, Queen
Elizabeth's favourite stage clown, kept an ordinary, with the sign of the
Castle. The house, of which a token exists, was destroyed in the Great Fire, but
was rebuilt ; there the " Castle Society of Music " gave their performances.
Part of the old premises were subsequently the Oxford Bible Warehouse, destroyed
by fire in 1822, and rebuilt.
The entrance to the Chop-house is in Queen's Head passage; and at Dolly's is a
window-pane painted with the head of Queen Anne, which may explain the name of
the court.
At Dolly's and Horsman's beef-steaks were eaten with gill-ale.
References :
Lots of references are made to two sources on the
internet archive
:
Edward Callows, Old London Taverns &
John Timbs, Club life of London Volume 2