Evening star., 1961-04-09
There Is in London All
That Life Can Afford
By JAMES HOLLOWAY
Contributing Writer

"Sir, II you wish to have q
just notion Of the magnitude
Of this city. you must not, be
satisfied with seeing its great
streets and squares, but must
survey the innumerable little
lanes and courts. When q man
is tired of London, he is tired
of life; for there is in London
all that life can afford"
That is the sort of remark
for which we remember the
didactic doctor. It is still good
advice and there is no more
fitting and timely way Of fol-
lowing it than by Strolling
along Fleet street, turning off
down one of those narrow
courts and visiting the house
which was for over 10 years
the house of the great man
himself.
DR.. Johnson's House is II
Cough Square. a tiny back
water in the heart of Lon
don's busy newspaperland.
Here he lived from 1748 to
1859, paying a rent Of 80
pounds a year. Here in the
attic he toiled with six clerks
to produce his famous die
tionary, held court over the
tea table with a succession Of
visitors, gave lodging to his old
blind Miss Williams and a
humble doctor. Robert Levett,
and was looked after by the
onetime Negro slave Francis
Barber, before finally being
compelled to quit through
poverty.
After he left, the house
passed through many viciSsi-
tudes. In 1882 Carlyle found
it was used as a lodging
house.
Later it was a hotel and q
Mr.. Frederick E. Partington of
Washington, D. c., recalled in
1921 that he had stayed there
exactly SO years earlier. The
landlord had remarked that as
he was q young lad and could
climb he was giving him the
top room "but when you get
older you will be proud to say
that you slept in the very
room where DR.. Samuel John
son compiled his great die
tionary."
A Sorry State
Printers were the next oc-
cupantS and after their de-
parture the house deteriorated
rapidly and was in q sorry
state when in 1912 it was
bought by Cecil HarmSworth.
He had it carefully restored
while Mrs. Harmsworth sought
suitable furniture. From the
outset their aim was that No.
II should be a house-not a
lifeless museum crammed with
antiques.
In 1914 DR.. Johnson's House
was opened to the public for
the first time. Today, after
further restoration following
war damage, it is again open
to all who ring the door bell.
One enters from the little
courtyard at the side through
a door into the dining room.
A plain red carpet covers the,
floor. On an oval table In the
center lie two massive leather
backed volumes Of the die
tionary.
The sombre unpublished
panelling, like most of the
wood in the house, is the
original American pine. In the
18th century when the house
was built oak went for ship
building. We were also then
exporting bricks to the New
World and importing timber
in exchange. No. II therefore
has q very real link with the
pine forests of old Virginia
and New Hampshire.
Special Chair
The most striking piece Of
furniture in this room is the
Doctors dining chair. Made
specially for him to prevent
cramp, he used to sit astride
its narrow wooden seat at the
old Cock" tavern nearby.
One climbs the staircase and
hears the same creaks that the
doctor must have heard as he
heaved his bulk up to the attic.
There are four rooms on the
way UP, one each side of the
landing on each floor. The up
per two were bedrooms.
Now they are all simply
furnished with chairs, tables,
a few good paintings, some
choice prints and the odd
showcase containing relic S
such as Mrs. Thrale's tea
equipage.
The best portrait Of john
son is by John Opie and was
presented by Halsted B. Van
der Poel Of Washington, D. c.,
- low