Last week Thursday; April 26th, I set off on a magical #walkabout through the streets of London to discover more about Charles Dickens (blog to follow shortly 🙂 ). We started off from the Charles Dickens Museum and the route we followed took us through some amazing areas, areas full of history where we crossed paths with the ghosts of London. After about 5.5 hours of walking (we took a lot of diversions and stopped at loads of places), my companion and I were famished, and since this was a Dickens walk we were doing, we decided to stop off at one of my favourite pubs in the City of London; especially as the tour ended nearby and the pub was mentioned in The Pickwick Papers: When Mr. Pickwick was visited in Fleet prison by his friends Winkle, Snodgrass and Tupman, they ordered “a bottle or two of very good wine, for which a messenger was dispatched to the Horn Coffee House “
Every time I visit St Paul’s Cathedral or go #walkabout in that area I always stop off at The Centre Page Pub for hot chips which I usually have as a take-away and then sit on the steps and enjoy the sunshine and hustle and bustle of folks walking by while I eat my treat. Yesterday I decided to have the ‘Charles Dickens Posh Pie and Mash’ specifically the Steak Ale and horseradish, and we requested to eat in the Dickens Room downstairs. 🙂
The last time we ate there I had the fish & chips which were just delicious and this meal was even better. I do not normally eat beef, but I have to say that the meat was tender and juicy and just yummy. So if your’e in the area and need something quality to eat in a historical setting, I can highly recommend this delightful pub; The Centre Page, 29-33 Knightrider Street, just down the way from St Paul’s as if heading towards the Millenium Bridge and Tate Modern. Every photo in the slideshow has a link with Charles Dickens.
History Note: The Centre Page began life as The Horn Tavern founded in 1660 after the restoration of King Charles II. The origins of the name may have come from the King’s celebrations or as there were several coaching inns around St Paul’s the sound of the coaching horn may also have given inspiration.
Nearest tube: St Paul’s on the Central line