Genius Fan

Last week I found myself in London with time on my hands, so I devised a short tour of points-of-interest related to that venerable concatenation of Boswell and Johnson. I started early at Paternoster Square in the City and walked it in four hours, but you could do it less than three. (Warning: I had blisters on my ‘plates o’ meat’ by the end.) I hereby lay out the tour for your inspection.

Genius Fan: Boswell-Johnson Tour 01
I started early, did it all on foot on a beautifully warm spring day
0830-0930: 1. Relocated Temple Bar, Paternoster Square
0930-0945: Walk from Paternoster Square to Temple Bar monument
0945-0958: 2. Temple Bar monument, Fleet Street (in middle of road)
0958-1000: Walk to St Clement Danes Church
1000-1010: 3. Samuel Johnson statue at rear of St Clement Danes Church
1010-1040: 4. St Clement Danes Church (known as ‘Johnson’s church’)
1040-1055: Walk to Russell Street, nr Covent Garden
1055-1105: 5. Site of Tom Davies bookshop, where Boswell met Johnson
1105-1106: Walk to Covent Garden
1106-1136: 6. Covent Garden, locale of Eighteenth century entertainment
1136-1146: Walk to St Martins-in-the-Field church
1146-1215: 7. St Martin-in-the-Fields church (a Boswell favourite)
1215-1220: Walk to Northumberland Avenue
1220-1230: 8. Northumberland Avenue, Boswell visited aristocratic soirees

Notes
See following posts for explanation of these various points-of-interest.

• Relocated Temple Bar: Brilliant setting. Sit, drink coffee and imagine Boswell and Johnson walking through this arch.
• Detour option: St Paul’s Cathedral which is immediately behind this location
• Detour option: Dr Johnson’s House, Gough Square (opens 11am). Wonderful!
• Temple Bar Monument (site of the original Temple Bar before it was dismantled).
• Johnson statue, by Percy Hetherington Fitzgerald (1834-1925), who also made the famous Boswell statue in Lichfield
• St Clement Danes church opens at 10am. Do NOT miss this beautiful church
• Tom Davies Bookshop (no. 8 Russell Street): this was where Boswell met Johnson on 16 May, 1763. The most significant date in world history.
• Covent Garden in 2025 has less prostitutes than in 1762/63. It’s still a place where one can dine and spend loads of money. Frequented by Boswell.
• St Martin-in-the-Fields church. Nice place to rest. Cafe in the crypt below.
• Northumberland Avenue, this was the site of the Northumberland House, the home of Elizabeth Seymour Percy, Countess of Northumberland. In his London Journal 1762-1763, Boswell describes many visits there as he tries to influence Lady N to get her husband to get Boswell a commission in the Guards. House demolished a century later and current building has a Tesco Express on its ground floor.