Brigantes Book Club in Festive Mood

Shakespeare’s Local

November’s Book Club was in festive mood with Christmas hats, crackers and bad jokes. We were chatting about ‘Shakespeare’s Local’ in which beer writer extraordinaire Pete Brown describes the George inn in Southwark. Never mind about the fact that nobody’s really sure if the bard actually drank there – it’s a great romp through seven centuries of history in a lively part of London that boasted not only lots of inns but a generous selection of brothels – some owned by the Bishop of Winchester.

The George has a varied history – hop market, theatre, coaching inn, and general meeting place. Some of its land has been lopped off so it’s now smaller than it was but it still has the whiff of history and Pete Brown is just the man to tell you about it. It’s an entertaining read and his research is impeccable. If you enjoy the book – and we think you will – you can go one better and have a pint there next time you’re in London.

I know I will says Peter Wood