Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese of London City. The Literateurs' Haunt for 300 Years or The Book of The Cheese
This book was published around a century ago. If the current pub's owners were minded to produce a new version today they could get away with using the same illustrations.
The Eight Edition of "The Book of the Cheese" 1923
"The Book of The Cheese - Being Traits and Stories of 'Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese', Wine Office Court, Fleet Street, London" was first published by the Cheese's owners in around 1900, as a souvenir and history of this famous London pub.
The book was revised and updated several times and numerous editions were produced. Copies are not hard to find and there are print on demand reprints available. I'll leave those who want to read the full contents to find a copy but I would like to share all the illustrations and the dedication I found in my copy.
If you have ever visited Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, almost all of scenes in these images will be instantly familiar. If you have never visited before, I hope these images inspire you to do so.
Click on any image for a larger version or to scroll through the gallery.
Cheshire Court at the side of "Old Cheshire Cheese"
by Herbert Railton (1857-1910)
The Entrance to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
H.R.H. Princess Mary with the Lord Mayor at
"Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese",
December 4th 1919
"The Way In" By F. Cox
The Bar By F. Cox
Staircase in the "Old Cheshire Cheese"
From an original Drawing by Herbert Railton (1857-1910)
"The Cosy Corner" in Old Cheshire Cheese
Frontispiece of Bill of Fare By George Cruickshank (1792-1878)
The ghost of Dr Johnson is seated for dinner with Charles Dickens and Mark Twain.
"Toddy at The Cheshire Cheese" By W. Dendy Sadler (1854-1923)
The Johnsonian Corner
Dr. Johnson's Chair
"The Way Out" By F. Cox
Dr. Johnson's House in Gough Square
by Herbert Railton (1857-1910)
A dedidication from one manager to another &
a dedicated cartoon by John Hassall (1868-1948)
The dedication page has a printed cartoon of William Shakespeare and Dr Johnson about to consume an enormous pie.
The artist, John Hassall has signed the illustration with the dedication "Ye Cheshire Cheese, Oct 1st 1913 To H.J.W.".
John Hassall is best known for his Jolly Fisherman (1908) used by the Great Northern Railway to promote holidays in Skegness.
My copy of the book also has a handwritten dedication on the same page, I wasn't expecting to find it when I bought the book but I was very pleased when I read it:
To S. Eeley, Esq.
Grand Hotel
Eastbourne
With compliments of
The Manager of
Ye O.C.C.
H.J. Wortham
30th Nov 1925
S.J. Eeley Manager of The Grand Hotel in Eastbourne is mentioned in numerous travel guides and advertisements throughout the 1920s. H.J. Wortham, manager of the Olde Cheshire Cheese is the same H.J.W. to whom John Hassall dedicated his cartoon.
Without Mr Wortham, The Cheshire Cheese couldn't be as it is today.
He became the manager of the "O.C.C." in 1910 and retired in 1937. His retirement was reported widely in the press. This example, from an Australian regional newspaper, is typical and briefly explains his significant role in the history of the pub:
SUCCESSFUL LANDLORD
The landlord of the "Cheshire Cheese," perhaps the most famous public-house in the world, and known to nearly all visitors to London, retired this week.
Mr H. J. Wortham, as a young accountant, was sent, in 1910, by his firm to examine the financial affairs of the "Cheese," and his recommendations so impressed the trustees of the house that they asked him to become its manager and carry out his own plans.
This he did with conspicuous success.
Mr Wortham's plan was to maintain the appearance of the "Cheshire Cheese" as a Charles the Second house, resisting the temptation to make it fake Tudor. The result was that his customers included ex-Presidents of great Republics, Ambassadors, Ministers of the Crown, and millions of tourists, all of whom appreciated its amenities and its simple but novel (or perhaps one should say ancient) cuisine.
Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia) Thursday 19th August 1937
So whether Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is a regular haunt of yours, or somewhere you have yet to visit, when next you find yourself in need of a rest in Fleet Street, do raise a glass or spare a thought, for Mr. H.J. Wortham, who had foresight to leave this timeless pub as he found it.
There are some more photos from Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese and many photos of other London pubs in this post from 2012 London Pubs in the 1920s.
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