[MR] Wikipedia: Bull and Mouth Inn, London

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

Today's "Did You Know?" Wikipedia feature includes a photo and reference to
London's Bull and Mouth coaching inn:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bull_and_Mouth_Inn . The coaching inn-era is
beyond our period of interest, but like many of the great coaching inns,
the Bull and Mouth itself likely dated to the middle ages. Sadly, it was
destroyed in the 19th C.

The name was a corruption of the original "Boulogne Mouth" which
commemorated Henry VIII's three-year siege of Boulogne, France (an
inconclusive waste of money and lives):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sieges_of_Boulogne_(1544–46) .

And by the way, the Wikipedia article on the siege says Henry was waiting a
French invasion fleet that never came. So wrong! The invasion did come in
1545, and was actually considerably larger than the more famous Spanish
Armada his daughter later faced. The French actually overran the Isle of
Wight, and came close to destroying Henry's navy. It was during this action
that the famous ship Mary Rose was sunk:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Solent .

Coincidently, I am currently reading Pete Brown's excellent SHAKESPEARE'S
PUB, A BARSTOOL HISTORY OF LONDON AS SEEN THROUGH THE WINDOWS OF ITS OLDEST
PUB -- THE GEORGE INN (ISBN 9781250049025). This is a fascinating, and
highly irreverent, history of London's last surviving coaching inn
(possibly dating to the 13th C), located in Southwark not far from the
lost-and-current Globe Theatre. The work explores British inns in general,
and includes a lot of fun stuff about Chaucer's pilgrims (who set out from
the nearby Tabard Inn). Brown's book is an absolute scream, and is well
worth the time of any Scadian.

Whew! Was that ever a ramble.

Yours Aye,

Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆