The Wig and Pen Club is a private members club, with many reciprocal associations around the world.
It is opposite the Royal Courts of Justice and was thus the location where gossip was sold to journalists by those appearing in court. The name itself is a reference to law, represented by the curly wig and quill pens.
The fact that the building was the only one in the Strand to survive the Great Fire of London is remarkable. But the fact that it still stands today, as it did when it was built on Roman ruins in 1625, makes it totally unique. It still has the original wooden suspended staircase, believed to be the only one of its kind still in existence anywhere in the world.
Number 230 was once the home of the Gatekeeper of Temple Bar, who began the catering tradition for which the Wig and Pen is now so famous. He started selling a "pennorth of meat and bread" to the milling crowds gathered to view the severed heads of traitors displayed on the spikes of Temple Gate (which is where Cromwell and his haunting of the place comess in). It now plays host to Peers of the Realm, Cabinet Ministers, top international sportsmen and leading figures of the music and arts world, plus two U.S. Presidents.
Other hauntings at the Wig and Pen club:
Early members of the club (dates as yet undiscovered), while sleeping upstairs, heard someone walking with very heavy steps along a ground-floor corridor, usually at 2.14 am. The building was always found to be empty.
The Rump of England
Have a look at the clue to find out more about Cromwell. »
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