Gin & the Georgians: A Spirited Evening
- drjohnsonshouse
- Sep 7
- 2 min read
Wednesday 4 March
6pm - 8pm
£28 / 2 for £50 Doors open 6pm - Curator's Talk starts 6.30pm
Enjoy G&Ts with a twist of history and gin tasting! Hear all about how the Georgians were drunk on gin. A spirited experience awaits!
Join us for an enjoyable evening of gin, history and tasting in the beautiful surroundings of Samuel Johnson’s Georgian home
You begin your experience with a refreshing G&T and are invited to take a seat in the Withdrawing Room where our curator will take you on a journey through the intoxicating history of gin—from its notoriety as 'Mother's Ruin' in Georgian London, to 19th-century Gin Palaces and its revival as a trendy British tipple today!
Discover how gin shaped Georgian society, from the infamous ‘Gin Craze’ to its role in everyday life, and sample two distinctive gins inspired by the period. Whether you're a connoisseur or enthusiast who simply enjoys gin, this event promises to be an intoxicating and enlightening experience. Cheers! 🍸
What's included:
G&Ts served in gin goblets with ice, lime and Fever Tree tonic
Two Gins to sample
A fascinating story of British Gin
A visit to a 1690s house - the home of Samuel Johnson, who famously declared, 'When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life'!
A chance to see where Johnson wrote his legendary Dictionary of the English Language in 1755.
'When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life...'
Like many Londoners today, Samuel Johnson was not from London. The son of a bookseller in Lichfield in Staffordshire, Johnson walked to the capital in 1737 seeking fame and fortune. He never left. While fortune evaded him, Dr Johnson rose to become one of the greatest literary figures of the 18th century.
Explore a Georgian townhouse
Dr Johnson's House is the only original historic townhouse still standing in Gough Square, having survived the Blitz when it was still the tallest building in the area. Built in the 1690s, shortly after the Great Fire of London, the four-storey house retains many of its period features, including a very quirky anti-burglary device!
You are welcome to:
browse all the rooms
see the quirky cellarette cupboard where luxuries like tea were locked away
peek into clever cabinets set in wooden panelling
sit down on the chairs, rest your feet and enjoy a chat
cosy up in a window seat and soak up the atmosphere!
Accessibility
There is regrettably no step-free access to Dr Johnson's House.
There are seven steps to access the entrance (with a handrail).
The building is a four-storey townhouse with a staircase between each floor.
There are handrails on each side of the staircase and visitor seating in every room.
Toilets are located down a steep set of stairs.
