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IN THE NEWS
TOUR OF THE MONTH
ON THIS DAY IN LONDON
18th June 1977 Sex Pistols Johnny Rotten and Paul Cook, beaten and robbed by London pub
18th June 1963 Born today: Omar Londono, jockey
18th June 1929 Born today: James Bishop, editor (London News Publications)
18th June 1817 Waterloo Bridge (2formerly Strand Bridge) was officially opened by the Prince Regent.
18th June 1583 Richard Martin of London takes out 1st life insurance policy, on William Gibbons, premium was £383
Punch and Judy Birthplace
The birthplace in England of the Punch and Judy puppet show.
Location: St Pauls Portico, Westminster
Description: On the 9th May 1662 Samuel Pepys was coming back from visiting a nearby ale-house when he stopped to watch a puppet show that was performing in Covent Garden.
It was the month that King Charles II (recently restored to the throne) was getting married and hordes of entertainers from all over Europe had thronged to the city hoping to make some money.
The Italian puppet play that Pepys saw was presented by puppetmaster Pietro Gimonde - or 'Signor Bologna' as he was known to his audience - and starred one of the great comic characters of all time.
The star puppet came originally from Naples, where he was known as Pulcinella, then toured across Europe to France - where he was called Polichinelle - and finally came to captivate English audiences who settled for calling him Punchinello.
Pepys' diary entry for 9th May reporting that he had seen the show is taken by today's performers as marking Punch's 'birthday'.
Tagged in this Tour: Elizabethan & Stuart London
Children
Historical
Ranking This Month: 1134/2774
Pages Hit This Month: 37
Link to This Page: http://www.shadyoldlady.com/location/963
Credits: http://www.coventgardenlife.com/info/street_entertainers/punch_judy/punch_judy.htm
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The birthplace in England of the Punch and Judy puppet show. |
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St Paul's Cathedral
Wren's masterpiece and oldest classic dominant symbol of London.
2007-03-07
Shakespeare's Curtain Theatre», 1.0km
Heir to Spike Milligan's Throne», 5.4km
The Savoy Theatre», 0.9km
Drury Lanes Pantomime Fountain», 0.8km
Magic St Georges Hall», 1.8km
The New London Theatre», 1.0km
The Bel Savage Inn», 0.1km
Comedy of Errors 1st Performance», 0.6km
Fortune Street Park», 0.6km
The Apollo Theatre», 1.4km
mapping London's most interesting and unusual places and history
