William Harnett Blanch
Local historian and eccentric club founder.
Location: 55 Denman Road, Peckham, SE15 5NS
Description: London historian William Harnett Blanch (1836-1900) lived here, author of the History of the Parish of Camberwell.
He is better known today as the founder of The London Thirteen Club. The met formally for luncheon to debunk superstitions on the thirteenth of every month, with thirteen dinner tables, each with thirteen settings.
Diners wore green ties with toy skeletons in their buttonholes, and meals were served by two cross-eyed waiters, who announced the start of dinner by smashing two mirrors.
To get to the dining room, guests had to follow an undertaker beneath a ladder and then sit at tables decorated with a centrepiece featuring a black cat, peacock feathers and witches' cauldrons, and were asked to spill salt before eating.
The club had numerous members including leading journalists and politicians, and all membership fees were distributed to the poor of Southwark.
Oscar Wilde famously refused to join saying that I love superstitions. They are the opponent of common sense.
Quirky
|
Local historian and eccentric club founder. |
Ranking This Month: 42/3089
Pages Hit This Month: 129
Your Comments:
Other places nearby:
The House by the Thames», 2.6km
Self Help Man lived here», 5.5km
Author Joseph Conrad lived here», 3.1km
Pepys's Ghost», 3.2km
Da Vinci Code: Opus Dei», 5.6km
Author Mary Shelley lived here», 3.5km
101 Dalmations author lived here», 5.0km
George Orwell taught here», 15.km
Dr Johnson's Dictionary House», 3.2km
Frankenstein author born here», 4.7km
Location Pinpointed:
Open Street Maps», Google Maps»
pinpointing the forgotten and lost history of London
Shady Old Lady »» Car Reviews »» Classic Telly »» Peckish © 2026 The Shady Old Lady, Privacy Policy
