Dirty Dick's and Odd Mr. Bentley

Dirty Dick's and the story of the eccentric landlord.

Location: 202 Bishops Gate, London, EC2M 4NR

Description:
Ironmonger Nathaniel Bentley owned his shop in Leadenhall Street, Bishops Gate.

On the eve of his wedding, tragedy struck and his bride to be died. He was so distraught that he locked up the room in which he had prepared the wedding feast, never to enter it again.

A broken man, he neither washed or changed his clothes. When his cats died he just left them where they fell.

The English love an eccentric and his notoriety meant his business flourished.

When Nathaniel retired in 1804, the landlord of the Old Port Wine Shop in Bishopsgate bought the contents lock, stock and dead cats where he put them on display at 'Dirty Dick's'.

In 1870 the pub was rebuilt from ground level, the wine vaults are part of the original building. The 'dirty' contents were carefully relocated in the new pub.
Sadly it was decided in the mid nineteen-eighties that a clean up was in order and the dirty artefacts were cleared away.

Tours: Great London Eccentrics Tour

Themes: Pub Pub Theme