Date: Friday, 20 March 2026 (bookings will close on Fri 13 March at 9am)
Time: 6.00pm
Who can attend: Society members and their guests
Cost: £35 (for a drinks reception and private guided House tour)
Dress code: Casual
Members Portal (LMS): Click here to book
Contact: Mark Fox, mfox@rvc.ac.uk

 

The number of places is limited to 30 and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.  Please feel free to invite one or more guests.

Step into the Age of Enlightenment with a guided private tour of Dr Samuel Johnson’s House. Originally from Lichfield in Staffordshire, Dr Johnson rose to become one of the greatest literary figures of the 18th century and is considered England’s most distinguished man of letters. He compiled his seminal A Dictionary of the English Language at his home in 17 Gough Square. Published in 1755, the Dictionary was of crucial importance in the development of the English language. Built in the 1690s, soon after the Great Fire of London, 17 Gough Square is a remarkably untouched time-capsule. The Grade I listed townhouse is the only one to survive in the area and retains many of its period features. ​

Our visit will begin with a 30-minute drinks reception followed by a private guided tour of the house, led by the Curator and lasting about 90-minutes. After our visit to the house, we will be retiring for supper to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese (145 Fleet Street, London EC4A 2BP) just a couple of minutes’ walk away from Dr. Johnson’s House.  The pub has offered to provide us with a fixed price two- or three-course menu (£33.95 and £39.95, respectively, excluding wine).

Please e-mail Mark Fox
(i) if you and your guests will be dining with us after the house visit; and
(ii) let us have your choice of dishes for either the two- or three-course option, by 9am on Friday 13th March – the latter will be available for you to choose from nearer the time and will be sent to those staying for supper. If we do not hear from you by that time/date, we shall assume that you do not wish to dine at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese.

Further information on Dr. Johnson’s House, that you may find useful for your visit, is available on the website. Dr Johnson is regularly quoted today, and is famous for his love of London, not least when he observed, ‘when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life’. We look forward to seeing you there!

Refunds, minus a £5 admin fee (per ticket), will be offered, upon request, to anyone cancelling for any reason up to six working days before an event.  After this time, no refunds are available.

The Livery Committee is the Society’s members’ social committee and is separate from the main Society Programme.  It operates outside of the governance of the Society, and uses a money-pooling system for all of its events.  Net receipts collected by the Society on their behalf are passed to the Livery Committee.