 If the whole world really is a stage, a pub is perfectly placed right at the very heart of it. These pubs have been places of inspiration for London's famous figures, including authors like Chaucer, Shakespeare and Dickens. The pubs have survived fires, wars and modernization. When it comes to London pubs, the pub that we are going to visit today, Ye Olde Chester Cheese is often considered as the cream of the crop. With the rich history, authentic interiors and affordable food and drinks, Ye Olde Chester Cheese is a great example of truly historical London pub. So watch this vlog as we are going to explore the pub and uncover various secrets that make this pub so historic and worth visiting. This pub has been at London Fleet Street for over 300 years. Outside the entrance, a sign listing the monarchs who have reigned during the pub's history can be seen and merely glancing through it you will realise that you are walking inside the oldest pub of London. Talking of the famous monarchs, it is said that Queen Elizabeth I danced for joy around the tree in the courtyard of this pub. Another interesting thing about this pub is that it is the first new building to be built following the great fire of London which destroyed most of the city in 1666. It was rebuilt by Christopher Wren shortly after the fire in 1666 as the place where the men working under his charge who were rebuilding the city could find a meal and a pint after a long hard day. The pub acquires a strong literary legacy attracting Oscar Wilde, WB, Dr. Johnson, Charles Dickens, Arthur Connell Doyle and Mark Twain. The interior walls are decorated with plagues detailing the many literary figures that patronised the pub over the centuries. The famous Dr. Johnson lived just a few miles away from this pub. In fact, the chair of Dr. Johnson, the man who wrote the first dictionary, remains in the pub till this date as he visited the pub quite frequently. It was not just visited by literary geniuses like Mark Twain, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Sir Arthur Connell Doyle and P. G. Woodhouse but in fact it was the meeting point of famous literary groups as well. The Rhymers Club, the group of London based poets founded in 1890 by W. B. Yeast and Ernest Ries originally not much more than just a dining club, this group produced anthologies of poetry in 1892 and 1894. The group members of Rhymers Club met at this pub, Cheshire Chase and in the Domino Room of the Café Royal. By the way, let me know in the comment section below all the other members of Rhymer Club that you know. Famous among the authors, it is not surprising that this pub has been alluded to and downright mentioned in several classic stories. In Agatha Christie's Million Dollar Bond Robbery, Detective Hercule Pirate dines with a client at the Cheshire Chase. Louis Stevenson mentions the Cheshire Chase pub in his work The Dynamiter. He said in I-Court, a select society at the Cheshire Chase, engaged my evenings. It is also believed that this pub was a setting for a scene in Sherlock Holmes' story The Red-Headed League, written by our beloved Sir Arthur Connell Doyle. Charles Dickens was also known to visit this place frequently and it was famously alluded to in Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. In the novel, it is the first place Charles Downey visits to get a simple supper and a few fine vines after escaping trial for high treason at the Old Bailey. Do you know that Tale of Two Cities was in part an inspiration for the American children's book The Cheshire Chase Cat by Carmen, Dee Dee and Rambelle Wright. The novel takes place at the Old Cheshire Chase pub and centres around a cheese-loving cat named Skinny and a mouse named Pippa. This cat despises the thought of eating a mouse. The book opens with the line, he was the best of Tom's, he was the worst of Tom's. It's a parody of course on The Tale of Two Cities. We also find Charles Dickens making an appearance in this book. The entrance to the pub is situated in a narrow alleyway and is easy to miss. Yet, once inside, visitors will realise that the pub occupies a lot of floor space and numerous bars and gloomy rooms. It is upon entering the pub that you realise that the pub is larger than it appears from the outside. In fact, the pub is a delightful labyrinth of different rooms. Front Bar, Chop House Restaurant, Cheshire Bar, Cellar Bar, Williams Room and Johnson's Bar to name but a few. In the bar room, outside you will find a posted plaques of famous people who were regular visitors of this pub. The pub has a homely open fire and a true traditional feel. There is a lack of natural light which makes you quickly forget that there's a world outside the pub. On one hand, you will find the entire pub is panelled in world dating back to the 18th century. On the other hand, the vaulted cellars will remind you of the 13th century caramelite monastery which once occupied the site. As you look around, you cannot help but wonder how the entire pub looks like a sprawling labyrinth of bookpaneled rooms and passageways, each with their own atmosphere. Among all the literary connections, perhaps the most interesting and certainly the most unique character in the long history of this pub is that of Polly the Parrot, who a century ago was famous around the world. Oh yes, I'm actually talking about a real parrot. The pub was home to Polly the Parrot who was often heard swearing at the customers. Polly was an African Grey and this species of parrot is renowned for their great skill of mimicking noises. Polly was known to be a very picky parrot who would be rude to the visitors that he didn't like. He was known for his foul temper and more vicious tongue. The parrot's antics made him a bit of a local celebrity. Polly said rats to the customers and abused the customers which no doubt must have upset and amused the bar staff as well as the customers in the equal measure. He was incredibly popular with the regulars and even received visits from such famous people like Charlie Chaplin. The parrot was known for imitating popping corks which sadly became the reason for his death in 1926. Yes, the parrot died out of exhaustion as one evening he imitated the sound of popping champagne corks over 400 times. Following his death in 1926, obituaries that is death notes were written about this famous Polly in and around the world and there were 200 newspapers across the world that wrote such obituaries. And the sad news was even read out on DVC, London radio station. Now, despite being an ex-parrot, Polly can still be found at the pub today stuffed and kept inside a glass cover above the bar. The history of the pub is evident in every inch of this four-storied building with different rooms dating from and furnished from different time periods. By the way, this pub is also known as the chop shop which serves best cuts of meat as well as their signature dish, the oldest cake and kidney pudding. So, whatever be the occasion, this is a perfect venue to celebrate. So if you ever decide to visit London, don't forget to grab yourself a proper pint and explore this beautiful pub where you will find yourself walking on the footsteps of the great literary authors. So with that tipsy note, I would like to take your leave. That's it from my side for this video lecture. I'll meet you very soon in the next video lecture. Till the time we meet next, happy learning, keep loving literature and stay tuned to arpitakarva.com.