Another question, this one about old London

Guys,

In the year 1698, where would Londoners party at night?
Thanks!

What I need is for a flighty witch to be leaving some occasion. Some non-witch function. My vampire child sees her and they have a simple chat. Maybe I'd better just have the woman taking a stroll.

Thanks guys.

Medievalist said:

Take a look at this nifty exhibit.

Click to expand...

Thats pretty cool. Thank you. I'll troll around there and see what's what.

Hey!
I asked a good knowledgeable friend about this at the same time I posted this question. I'm posting it here in case any other authors have a similar question.

Here's what he said...

---

If we're talking poorer people, that would be in the public houses - pubs -
that sold very cheap beer. Even children drank beer because the brewing
killed the germs in the drinking water. "Small beer" was common and not very
alcoholic compared to the brews of today, but there was also some serious
rotgut around. There was no prohibition against children going to pubs, and
often families would send a child to run round to the pub and bring back a
jug of ale for home use.

Pubs were often but not always inns or lodging houses too. They were given
names like "The Sign of the Bush" or "The Sign of the Wheel" or whatever had
been hung outside over the door. Others were named after the local nobleman,
"The Buckingham Arms" or "The Richmond Arms" or even "The King's Arms". Even
today the most popular pub name in Britain is "The Dog and Gun".

Of particular narrative interest might be the waterfront taverns that lined
the Thames. Even some of the houses that were built on London bridge were
pubs - useful for dropping dead bodies through trash hatches down into the
river. These were frequented by the waterman (the boat-taxi drivers who
plied their trade along the Thames and were some of the best informed people
in the city), by the sailors from the many ships that came to the world's
busiest port, and by ladies of the night.

Remember that people got up and went to bed much earlier in those days.
Night travel in London was not safe, and drunks rolling home might well be
mugged or murdered for what they were carrying. The famous drunkard Falstaff
from Shakespeare's plays says "We have seen the chimes at midnight", showing
how much of a wastrel he was to stay up so incredibly late drinking!

At some times of the year there were street celebrations. The biggest were
on May 1st, May Day, when there was dancing around a maypole, and November
5th, Bonfire Nights, when effigies of Catholic would-be assassin Guy Fawkes
who tired to blow up the government in 1605 were burned by night on street
corner fires.

The upper classes had Gentleman's Clubs, mostly around Mayfair and Pall
Mall, rich mansions where members could go for a drink and a smoke. Ladies
were not allowed but some clubs did provide women who were not ladies along
with the cigars. Upper class ladies didn't go out to party except to visit
each other in their homes.

The upper classes also had a "season" of balls and events hosted at each
other's mansions. The season began in autumn (London smelled too bad for
rich people in high summer, so they all went to their country estates), when
this year's debutantes - young girls from rich families now old enough to
consider marriage - were presented to the king (their "coming out"). The
whirl of social events followed, and during the six month season many of
these girls would have good matches arranged for them.

Rich and poor alike enjoyed the theatre (mostly in open auditoriums, and
usually in daytime), although some puritans objected to it's lewdness.

I hope that helps.

--

It helps a lot!

Now I'm leaning towards using the May Day Celebration.

I could have my flirtatious witch, Blandia, leaving the celebration an hour after sunset when little Annabelle, in her bat form, is enjoying her breakfast (rat again). She sees Blandia leaving, changes to her normal 10 yr old girl form and they have a chat.

This scene just might work out after all.

Really? Ouch. What parts were not from 1698? Did they celebrate May Day back then?

Hmm. I might want to do the meet-in-Hyde-Park idea.