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
THE PERCY COFFEE-HOUSE, Rathbone place, Oxford street.
Rathbone place, Oxford street, no longer exists ; but it will be kept in
recollection for its having given name to one of the most popular publications,
of its class, in our time, namely, the Percy Anecdotes, " by Sholto and Reuben
Percy, Brothers of the Benedictine Monastery of Mont Benger/' in 44 parts,
commencing in 1820. So said the title pages, but the names and the locality were
suppose. Reuben Percy was Thomas Byerley, who died in 1824 ; he was the brother
of Sir John Byerley, and the first editor of the Mirror, commenced by John
Limbird, in 1822. Sholto Percy was Joseph Clinton Robertson, who died in 1852 ;
he was the projector of the Mechanics' Magazine, which he edited from its
commencement to his death. The name of the collection of Anecdotes was not
taken, as at the time supposed, from the popularity of the Percy Reliques, but
from the Percy Coffee-house, where Byerley and Robertson were accustomed to meet
to talk over their joint work. The idea was, however, claimed by Sir Richard
Phillips, who stoutly maintained that it originated in a suggestion made by him
to Dr. Tilloch and Mr. Mayne, to cut the anecdotes from the many years' files of
the Star newspaper, of which Dr. Tilloch was the editor, and Mr. Byerley
assistant editor; and to the latter overhearing the suggestion, Sir Richard
contested, might the Percy Anecdotes be traced. They were very successful, and a
large sum was realized by the work.
The 1829 Robsons directory places William Lovegrove, at the Percy hotel, 29 & 30
Rathbone place
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