VISITS

Saturday 22 January 2011

Description of The Peacock and the Red Lion (1904)

A description of the Peacock and Royal and the Red Lion in 1904 by an American visitor Josephine Tozier.

The Peacock and Royal.

The front is decorated by bright flowers and long trailing vines growing from the window-boxes on the balconies, and above all is a most gorgeous sign of the most gorgeous of birds, from which it takes its name. We ate our comfortable little dinner in the coffee-room……it was nine o'clock before we left the table. We were too tired to explore Boston's winding ways, and, as it was too early for bed, I had this time secured a large front room looking over the market-place, and my sleepy friends soon found entertainment there.

The sound of a twanging banjo, which came from beneath our window, gathered the few stragglers in the market-place into a circle around the door of the Peacock. We could not see the musician from our window, but he broke forth as soon as the audience had gathered into the usual sentimental ballad dear to English ears. Some boys, with dogs at their heels, formed the outside of the meagre crowd, and then from a side street came belated mothers, pushing their babies home in perambulators. Polly says that at no hour in the twenty-four are English streets entirely free from perambulators, and, late as it was, three of these useful carriages joined the circle, the mothers, in true Boston fashion, being unable to resist music. The audience grew larger and the circle wider; the songs were succeeded by dialogues, and coppers rained plentifully into the collector's hand, until a baby set up an opposition concert, and an enterprising dog was encouraged by the noise to fight his four-legged neighbour. During the rumpus which succeeded, the musicians vanished. The dog riot was finally quelled, the babies trundled home, and the market-place in a few minutes was absolutely deserted for the night.

The Red Lion.

The Red Lion Inn, which faces the Narrow Bargate, has a more venerable exterior than the Peacock, but a decidedly decayed interior. It owns to the age of four hundred years, so no wonder that it is neither very clean nor very modern at the present time. It was formerly the property of one of the Boston guilds, and in the inn yard strolling players were wont to perform for the delight of all Boston.
There is still a very stern, solemn, Puritanical look about the dull little Holland-like city, in spite of the numerous houses of entertainment. Some of these rejoice in extraordinary names. There is "The Axe and Cleaver," "The Loggerhead," "The Indian Queen," "The Ram," "The Whale," "The Unicorn," "The Red Cow," "The Blue Lion," and "The Black Bull." They all furnish abundant liquid refreshment, with our favourite "The Rum Puncheon," and the picturesque "Angel." Even the streets have delicious names: "Paradise Lane," and "Pinfold Alley," "Liquor Pond Street" and "Silver Street," "The Worm Gate," "The Bar Gate," Wide, and Narrow, and "Robin Hood's Walk." There is "Pump Square," there is "Fish Toft Road," and in quaint "Spain Lane," in a house since demolished, until she was fourteen years old, lived Jean Ingelow, the writer. Boston is proud of its literary celebrities, and has erected a statue to Herbert Ingram, the founder of the London Illustrated News.

3 comments:

  1. The blue lion stood at the end of lincoln lane , i remember it in the early sixtys although it was closed i think the last landlords were the Moyer family next to it was wittles boot lace factory and then it was peacock's shop it was a small shop that sold everything next to them was the victoria pub this stood on the corner of lincoln lane and rosegarth street , grandad told me that his dad said when he was a boy Irish navys would sleep on the rope , this was a rope that ran along the seats and was hooked up at night and they would lay there heads on it and go to sleep , these men were hear to dig out the drains we have today . Just around the corner was George White's sale room were people would bid on allsorts of stuff mainly furniture , i have a small table that my nan bought from there . Before this land was part of Irby priory , my mum has a fireplacethat came from there it is cast iron and has lions on it , this was there family crest . A little further down Lincoln ln my great great grand father on my mums side had a smoke house about opposite the Duke of york pub . My great grand father on my dads side was born in pinfold lane this was where quick saves was just opposite the gate to the white hart

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you very much for the comment, very interesting. Have you any pics of your mums fireplace, it would be good to see that. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Are you searching for a place where you can find everything you need? From where you can hire chef, personal shoppers, travelers guide or any other services you need,then you can contact with Konsorts. They are doing really good. Their service quality is really good and secured market place too. I have taken many services from them.

    ReplyDelete