Public Houses of Victorian London

Drink has a long and colourful history in London, from the wine fixations of its medieval kings to the devastating 'gin craze' of the eighteenth century and the Temperance Movement of the Victorian era. Dating from 1886, this map was first produced to alert Londoners to the dangers of the devil drink and the extent to which it had pervaded their city. Although presenting the large number of public houses as a disease - the 'modern plague' - it no doubt also served to educate contemporary pub-goers of what was on offer, and gives us a fascinating glimpse of the alcohol industry and culture of drinking in nineteenth century London.