Samuel Pepys Day
By Caroline Powell
On Friday 6th September the Lord Mayor joined Caroline Powell and 150 other keen enthusiasts of Samuel Pepys, for walks on the theme of the great diarist himself around the eastern section of the city. This was a new project promoted by the Lord Mayor, Alderman Michael Mainelli who is coming to the end of his year in post. He is keen to introduce an annual Samuel Pepys day and chose the 6th September because it was the 358th anniversary of the end of the Great Fire of London.
All those of you who paid attention in your history lessons know that the Great Fire of London began on the 2nd September 1666, as a result of Thomas Farriner, the Baker, neglecting to put out his fire correctly. The fire burned until Thursday the 6th of September, destroying 13,200 houses, 87 churches and 44 livery company halls. And let’s not forget the old St Paul’s Cathedral as well. Pepys recorded this all with interesting detail and perceptive comments in his diaries, written from 1660 to 1669.
Pepys had a writer’s knack for spotting the interesting, the unusual and bizarre as well as amusing tales and he also was disarmingly honest, all of which makes for a very good read. He used the form of shorthand developed by Thomas Shelton, as well as his own version, which included words written in a corruption of French Italian or Latin. Essentially his diaries were written in a code that could not be easily read by his wife or his household and we’ll leave you to imagine why that was the case!
The inaugural Samuel Pepys Day went off brilliantly starting at 10:00 at Monument. Caroline led her party of 15, including the Lord Mayor, down to Pudding Lane then to the river, up to St Dunstan’s, where Pepys wrote about encountering two robbers. The walkers then moved onto Bakers Livery Hall, All Hallows Church, the Tower of London, where Pepys was an inmate not once or twice but three times. Of course, the party had to visit Seething Lane where Pepys lived and worked; and here the story of his infamous bladder stone was an engaging tale. Pity poor Pepys trussed up like a chicken in order to have a bladder stone the size of a small tennis ball removed without anaesthetic! It is hardly surprising that the man chose to celebrate the operation’s annual date with oysters and other delicious delicacies acquired from nearby Leadenhall market. The walk ended at the Royal Exchange and of course Mansion House, where the Lord Mayor invited everyone in for a champagne reception and presentations.
We hope that this wonderful initiative will continue beyond Michael Mainelli’s year as Lord Mayor. Fingers crossed. Caroline will be adding the walk to the offering of Six in the City in the autumn. It was good to see some loyal supporters of Six in the City on the walks too! If you’d like to explore having a private walk on this fascinating topic, get in touch with us via info@sixinthecity.co.uk
