The Devil Tavern, whose full sign was The Devil and Saint Dunstan, was a tavern at number 2, Fleet Street in London, near the Temple Bar.[1] It existed from the reign of James I (1603–25) until it was demolished in 1787 by Child & Co. to expand their banking premises.[2][3]

1873 drawing of "Old Temple Bar and the Devil Tavern"
The site of the Devil Tavern is marked with a blue plaque (visible in the centre of this image) on the wall of 1 Fleet Street

The tavern was opposite the church of Saint Dunstan, and its sign depicted the devil tweaking Saint Dunstan's nose.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Percy Simpson (1939), "Ben Jonson and the Devil Tavern", The Modern Language Review, 34 (3): 367–373, doi:10.2307/3717698, JSTOR 3717698
  2. ^ Theophilus Charles Noble (1869), Memorials of Temple Bar, Diprose & Bateman, p. 111
  3. ^ John Timbs (1872), Clubs and Club Life in London, John Camden Hotten, pp. 405–411
  4. ^ Cunningham, Peter (1849). Handbook of London: Past and Present. J. Murray. p. 258. Retrieved 16 August 2023.

51°30′49″N 0°06′42″W / 51.5137°N 0.1117°W / 51.5137; -0.1117