While exploring an Oliver Twist guided tour in London today, I came across a few curious sites indeed. The tour, created by the Guardian and available here: Oliver Twist Tour, was filled with awesome historical places- some that still exist and some that have long since been changed into modern establishments. One of these sites was the The Harlequin on Arlington Way. The Harlequin is now a pub but was once a theatre which greatly influenced Dickens' work. Joe Grimaldi, a friend of Dickens and the man who is credited as the world's first clown, is memorialized inside the pub.
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| The Harlequin |
Later, I came across the Mount Pleasant Sorting Office- the Royal Mail's main sorting office, which is the former site of a prison that was famous for experimental treatments to reform prisoners. This prison first implemented the Silent Treatment, where prisoners were strictly forbidden to speak to one another. This prison was also the first to implement to treadmill to give prisoners a pointless task to keep them busy, and to wear them out to help prevent mutiny power. The treadmill was created for this exact reason in 1818 by Sir William Cubitt. This fact will definitely make me second guess myself the next time I hop on the treadmill for self inflicted punishment.
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| Mount Pleasant Sorting Office |
Finally, we stopped at the One Tun Pub, which is located next door to the former site of Fagan's headquarters- The Three Cripples. When my friends and I walked into the pub, there were a few patrons but no bartender. Three guys at the bar said to us "Oh, the bartender is outback, just yell for him". We feebly called out "Hello?" to no avail. The guys said "His name's David", so we feebly called out, "Uhh, David?". No David. Finally, one man yelled, "OY, DAVID, SOME GIRLS NEED SOME DRINKS!". David came ambling up and served us- he was delightful.
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