Taverns and other entertainments in the City of London? Seventeenth- and 18th-century finds from excavations at Paternoster Square

Abstract

Excavations in 2001 to the south of Newgate Street, London EC4, throw light on an area associated with publishing, writers and bookselling, and served by a large number of taverns and hostelries. These provided food, drink, entertainment and regular meeting places for figures from the worlds of literature, science and art. Selected assemblages of artefacts including pottery, clay pipes and glass, as well as environmental remains, may relate to these establishments and help evoke the character of the area. One of the most remarkable finds is a delftware phallic drinking vessel, unparalleled in archaeological contexts.