The Old Curiosity Shop
The oldest shop in London dating from 1560's.
Location: 13-14 Portsmouth Street, London, WC2A 2ES
Description: This 16th century half-timbered building that reputedly served as the model in Dickens's imagination for the original home of Little Nell and her grandfather in The Old Curiosity Shop (1840-41) was initially a dairy on the estate that King Charles the Second presented to one of his many mistresses, the Duchess of Portsmouth, in the late seventeenth century.
The building, dates from around 1567, is almost certainly the oldest shop in central London. Now protected by a preservation order, the building, with its overhanging upper storey, gives visitors an idea of how a London street would have appeared before the Great Fire of 1666.
It's highly unlikely to be the shop Dicken's actually based it on, especially as those who've read the book may recall the passage at the end stating that it was 'pulled down long ago'.
Tours: Curios
Tours: London general 2012
Tours: unique tour
Themes: Ancient Retail Literary
The oldest shop in London dating from 1560's. |
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