The Grecian
Coordinates: 51 ° 30 ′ 46 ″ N , 0 ° 6 ′ 45 ″ W The Grecian ("the Greek") was a coffee house in London that existed from 1702 to 1842. It was on Devereux Court near the beach .
There is evidence of a coffee house at this address as early as 1652, making it the oldest café in London. In 1702 the restaurant was taken over by a Greek named Constantine, which is how it got its name. It became known as a meeting place for scholars, writers and journalists through Richard Steele's magazine Tatler . In the first edition, which appeared on April 12, 1709, Steel announced The Grecian as the editorial address and further informed its readers: “All reports from the gallant world, about amusements and entertainment will appear here under the heading White's Choclate House; Poems under Will's Coffee-house ; Academic under The Grecian; Domestic and international news under Saint James's Coffee-house. ”Steele was parodying the style of other newspapers, with their numerous headings and alleged foreign correspondents, by replacing them with the places where you actually get news of whatever kind - the coffee houses.
Known guests
- Joseph Addison
- Edmund Burke
- Oliver Goldsmith
- Edmund Halley
- Isaac Newton
- Richard Steele
The Grecian today
The Devereux has been where The Grecian stood since 1843 , address: 20 Devereux Court, London WC2.