Dr Johnsons House London

 I wandered into an alley off Fleet Street that lead me to Gough Square.  I'd have probably just wandered through but I overheard a man saying "and that over there is his cat"

I'm too nosey to ignore a conversation like that even if it is nothing to do with me whatsoever.












The cat turned out to be Hodge and underneath him is written "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life"

It felt fortuitous as I had said that to myself only an hour earlier stood on Waterloo Bridge.

Opposite Hodge is Dr Samuel Johnson's house.  It is a 'replica' lovingly restored as it has had many different hats across the years























The house is like stepping into a house that he just stepped out of 250 years ago.

There are no barriers, hardly any information about, it's just a house.  I was there pretty much alone.  It was incredibly peaceful.

Dr Johnson is most famous as the lexicographer that wrote the dictionary.
He wasn't the first (Over the previous 150 years more than twenty dictionaries had been published in England, the oldest of these being a Latin-English "wordbook" by Sir Thomas Elyot published in 1538) or the last (my favourite). 

I will happily take a dictionary with me to bed to read, I love the order of them.  I remember little and my vocabulary is limited but I find it an interesting read. Especially this one.


I would had liked to have sat and read the replica ones for a while.  He clearly had a sense of humour

Dull: Not exhilaterating (sic); not delightful; as, to make dictionaries is dull work.

He planned to finish it in 3 years, it took him 9.

There is a library of his books.

 This is a different floor that seemed to be used for school groups but was deliciously light and airy.

 With an odd cupboard type space.

 If you go to this house for no other reason than to see these clever movable walls, it is worth it.

Architecture fascinates me and these are a treasure.

The cupboard space is created by one of the movable walls.

 Whilst Dr Johnson loved London, he clearly wanted to stay safe.

The original door and locks is still there.

 This house is well worth a visit, give yourself an hour (I only had about 20 minutes, I will go back)

Look around the Square too.  The curators house is said to be the smallest residential house in the square mile (of the City).


This is a nice area with a lot of nice pubs to take a break in, the Cheshire Cheese is close by.  Take a walk down Fleet Street whilst you are in the area too.

Chancery Lane Tube is very close as is Temple, but as always, I recommend you walk, walk through London and remember to look up and about, it's amazing what you can see when you least expect to.

There are toilets in the house but only accessible by difficult stairs.  If you have mobility issues please contact the curators first regarding suitability.

There is a fee for entry, I paid £4.50 but it is a National Trust partner, so members would get a discount.  Please check the official website for the most up to date information on entry times and fees.