The Metropolis

Metapranking: Was famous historical hoax a hoax all along?

Mike Pollitt | Thursday 10 November, 2011 11:27

Great stuff this morning from Mike Paterson at the London Historians blog. It concerns the Berners St hoax of the early 19th century, which ran as follows:

A swell called Theodore Hook (playboy, writer, chum of the Prince Regent) made a bet with his friend Samuel Beazley (playwright, theatre architect, bon viveur) that he could make an ordinary address the most talked about house in London within a week. Hook then sent out thousands of letters requesting deliveries and visits from tradesmen and grandees alike to 54 Berners Street on a certain date. Chimney-sweeps were the first to arrive, so the story goes. They were followed by hundreds of visitors of all kinds including piano deliverymen, coal-men etc. The tale continues that the house was also visited by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord Mayor of London and even minor royalty.

Ha ha jolly good jape etc etc. Except Mike is having none of it:

I suspect, frankly, that either they or friends of theirs made the whole thing up

A hoax hoax? Messrs Hook and Beazley, I salute you.

Unless of course Mike Paterson is himself pulling a hoax, in which case I give up.

---