Rather interesting Covent Garden facts
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Did you know that the first Punch and Judy show recorded in England was performed in Covent Garden in 1662? Samuel Pepys mentions enjoying it in his diaries. It was rather different from the version we now know, performed in a small side-show tent and with marionettes.
Did you know that the first sandwich ever eaten by that name is claimed to have been consumed in the Shakespeare’s Head in Covent Garden by the Earl of Sandwich in 1762? It had 'a slab of meat' (almost certainly beef) in it! Sandwich was a keen gambler who when snacking at the gaming tables had his meats put between slices of bread to keep his fingers (and the cards) free from grease – the Shakespeare’s Head was home to an exclusive gaming society the Beef Steak Club.
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Famous Covent Garden people:
Clive Dunn
Joseph M W Turner
W S Gilbert
More famous Britons here
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