Berners Street hoax: Difference between revisions
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On 27 November, at five o’clock in the morning, a sweep arrived to sweep the chimneys of Mrs Tottenham's house. The maid who answered the door informed him that no sweep had been requested, and that his services were not required. A few moments later another sweep presented himself, then another, and another, 12 in all. After the last of the sweeps had been sent away, a fleet of carts carrying large deliveries of coal began to arrive, followed by a series of cakemakers delivering large wedding cakes, then doctors, lawyers, vicars and priests summoned to minister to someone in the house they had been told was dying. Fishmongers, shoemakers, and over a dozen pianos were among the next to appear, along with "six stout men bearing an organ". Dignitaries, including the [[Governor of the Bank of England]], the [[Duke of York]], the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]] and the [[Lord Mayor of the City of London]] also arrived. The narrow streets soon became severely congested with tradesmen and onlookers. Deliveries and visits continued until the early evening, bringing a large part of London to a standstill.<ref name=PollardPP3-5>{{Harvnb|Pollard|2009|pp=3–5}}</ref> |
On 27 November, at five o’clock in the morning, a sweep arrived to sweep the chimneys of Mrs Tottenham's house. The maid who answered the door informed him that no sweep had been requested, and that his services were not required. A few moments later another sweep presented himself, then another, and another, 12 in all. After the last of the sweeps had been sent away, a fleet of carts carrying large deliveries of coal began to arrive, followed by a series of cakemakers delivering large wedding cakes, then doctors, lawyers, vicars and priests summoned to minister to someone in the house they had been told was dying. Fishmongers, shoemakers, and over a dozen pianos were among the next to appear, along with "six stout men bearing an organ". Dignitaries, including the [[Governor of the Bank of England]], the [[Duke of York]], the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]] and the [[Lord Mayor of the City of London]] also arrived. The narrow streets soon became severely congested with tradesmen and onlookers. Deliveries and visits continued until the early evening, bringing a large part of London to a standstill.<ref name=PollardPP3-5>{{Harvnb|Pollard|2009|pp=3–5}}</ref> |
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Hook stationed himself in the house directly opposite 54 Berners Street, from where he and his friend spent the day watching the chaos unfold.<ref name=PollardPP3-5/> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 22:04, 13 September 2012
The Berners Street Hoax was perpetrated by Theodore Hook in the City of Westminster, London, in 1809.[1][2] Hook had made a bet with his friend, Samuel Beazley, that he could transform any house in London into the most talked-about address in a week, which he achieved by sending out thousands of letters in the name of Mrs Tottenham, who lived at 54 Berners Street, requesting deliveries, visitors, and assistance.[3]
On 27 November, at five o’clock in the morning, a sweep arrived to sweep the chimneys of Mrs Tottenham's house. The maid who answered the door informed him that no sweep had been requested, and that his services were not required. A few moments later another sweep presented himself, then another, and another, 12 in all. After the last of the sweeps had been sent away, a fleet of carts carrying large deliveries of coal began to arrive, followed by a series of cakemakers delivering large wedding cakes, then doctors, lawyers, vicars and priests summoned to minister to someone in the house they had been told was dying. Fishmongers, shoemakers, and over a dozen pianos were among the next to appear, along with "six stout men bearing an organ". Dignitaries, including the Governor of the Bank of England, the Duke of York, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lord Mayor of the City of London also arrived. The narrow streets soon became severely congested with tradesmen and onlookers. Deliveries and visits continued until the early evening, bringing a large part of London to a standstill.[4]
Hook stationed himself in the house directly opposite 54 Berners Street, from where he and his friend spent the day watching the chaos unfold.[4]
References
Notes
- ^ Chambers 1832, pp. 260
- ^ Barham 1852, pp. 72–77
- ^ Lockhart 1852, pp. 16–18
- ^ a b Pollard 2009, pp. 3–5
Bibliography
- Pollard, Justin (2009), Secret Britain: The Hidden Bits of Our History, John Murray, ISBN 978-1-84854-198-6
- Chambers, Robert (1832), The book of days: a miscellany of popular antiquities in connection with the calendar, including anecdote, biography, & history, curiosities of literature and oddities of human life and character, Volume 2, W. & R. Chambers
- Lockhart, John Gibson (1852), Theodore Hook, a sketch, John Murray
- Barham, Richard Harris Dalton (1852), The life and remains of Theodore Edward Hook, Volume 1, R. Bentley
External links
- Museum of Hoaxes article on the Berners Street Hoax (States street number as 10 and the year as 1810)
- London in the Nineteenth Century, The Guardian (London)
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