John Snow (public house)

John Snow pub (2023)
Map
General information
LocationSoho, City of Westminster, part of the West End of London
Address39 Broadwick Street
Town or cityLondon
CountryUnited Kingdom
Coordinates51°30′47.5″N 0°08′12″W / 51.513194°N 0.13667°W / 51.513194; -0.13667
Opened1870s
Known forNamed for John Snow

The John Snow, formerly the Newcastle-upon-Tyne, is a public house in Broadwick Street, in the Soho district of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London, and dates back to the 1870s. It is named for the British epidemiologist and anaesthetist John Snow, who identified the nearby water pump as the source of a cholera outbreak in 1854.

At an initial glance the pub appears like other traditional pubs. Towards the back is a staircase that leads to the first floor and a display of some of Snow's work.

The pub serves as a meeting place for the John Snow Society, which encourages its members to visit the pub, introduced a walk following the footsteps of Snow through Soho and ending at the pub, and performs a ceremonial removal of the pump handle and visit to the pub following its annual Pumphandle Lecture.

Location

The John Snow, named for the British epidemiologist and anaesthetist John Snow, is located on the corner of Lexington Street (formerly Cambridge Street) and Broadwick Street (formerly Broad Street) in the Soho district of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London.[1][2]

History

The building was formerly known as the 'Newcastle-upon-Tyne' and dates back to the 1870s.[2] It was built at the site of the water pump found by John Snow to have been the origin of a local cholera outbreak in 1854.[3][a] The pub was renamed the John Snow in 1954, 100 years after the pump handle was removed.[3] This dedication to Snow is generally thought of as peculiar as Snow was shy and never drank alcohol.[4][5] The pub sign was unveiled in May 1955 by president of the Epidemiology and Public Health section of the Royal Society of Medicine, Sir Austin Bradford Hill.[6] In 1992 a handleless replica water pump was installed nearby on the corner of Poland Street and Broadwick Street.[3][7]

  • Old replica pump
    Old replica pump
  • Pump erected in 1992
    Pump erected in 1992

Interior

On entering the building, it appears like other traditional pubs.[6] Towards the back is a staircase leading to the first floor, which displays some of Snow's work and portrait.[6][8]

Exterior

The Royal Society of Chemistry established a blue plaque on the wall of the building.[2] The 1992 replica pump was removed in 2015 for road restorations and replaced by another one in 2018 at the original pump location.[3][5] An image of the pump was displayed on a temporary board until the replica was replaced.[9] The pub sign outside depicts a portrait of Snow.[8] The original site of the pump is represented by a pink curb stone outside the pub's side door.[6]

  • Sign outside on Broadwick Street wall
    Sign outside on Broadwick Street wall
  • Blue plaque on Broadwick Street wall
    Blue plaque on Broadwick Street wall
  • Sign on wall of pub
    Sign on wall of pub
  • Exterior on Lexington Street
    Exterior on Lexington Street
  • Pump erected in 2018 in front of side door
    Pump erected in 2018 in front of side door
  • Pink kerbstone, site of original pump
    Pink kerbstone, site of original pump

John Snow Society

Main article: John Snow Society

The pub serves as a meeting place for the John Snow Society (JSS).[3][10] A requirement for membership to the society is that on visiting London, at least one trip is encouraged to the pub.[5] Following the JSS's Pumphandle Lecture, held annually at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in September, members proceed to the pub for the society's annual general meeting.[11] The society introduced a walk following the footsteps of Snow through Soho and ending at the pub.[12]

Other events

In 2011, a gay couple was reportedly forced to leave the location after staff members saw them kiss. [13] In response, the local community held a "kiss-in" protest that resulted in the pub temporarily closing. [14]

Notes

  1. ^ The epidemic was already on the decline by the time the handle was removed. The significance is that Snow showed that cholera spread via water and not bad smells/air.

References

  1. ^ Friis, Robert H.; Sellers, Thomas A. (2009). "1. History and scope of epidemiology". Epidemiology for Public Health Practice (4th ed.). Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. pp. 34–35. ISBN 978-0-7637-5161-6.
  2. ^ a b c "John Snow and the Soho Cholera Outbreak of 1854". A London Inheritance. 18 October 2020. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e Dazeley, Peter; Daly, Mark (2021). "Westminster and West End". London Explored: Secret, Surprising and Unusual Places to Discover in the Capital. Frances Lincoln. pp. 18–19. ISBN 978-0-7112-4035-3.
  4. ^ Lax, Alistair J. (2005). "2. The germ of an idea: a gradual acceleration up to the mid-1850s". Toxin: The cunning of bacterial poisons. Oxford University Press. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-19-157850-2.
  5. ^ a b c Snowise, Neil G (February 2023). "Memorials to John Snow – Pioneer in anaesthesia and epidemiology". Journal of Medical Biography. 31 (1): 47–50. doi:10.1177/09677720211013807. ISSN 0967-7720. PMC 9925902. PMID 33960862. S2CID 233985110.
  6. ^ a b c d "John Snow Pub". www.ph.ucla.edu. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  7. ^ "The return of the pump". The John Snow Society. 20 July 2018. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  8. ^ a b Gilmour, Tony (2008). "5. The importance of organisational structure in building a sustainable non-profit housing sector". In Gilmour, Tony; Blakely, Edward James; Pizarro, Rafael E. (eds.). Dialogues in Urban Planning: Towards Sustainable Regions. Sydney University Press. p. 165. ISBN 978-1-920899-12-7.
  9. ^ "Pump due to return". The John Snow Society. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  10. ^ Kuh, Diana (September 2004). ""The Pump Don't Work, 'cause the Vandals Took the Handles."1". Epidemiology. 15 (5): 517–518. doi:10.1097/01.ede.0000135913.25938.48. ISSN 1044-3983. PMID 15308945.
  11. ^ Dalton, Harry (2019). "28. Heroes". The Hepatitis E Virus: Pigs Might Fly. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 111. ISBN 978-1-5275-3044-7.
  12. ^ Snow, Stephanie J (July 2008). "John Snow: the making of a hero?". The Lancet. 372 (9632): 22–23. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(08)60978-2. PMID 18613323. S2CID 44461789.
  13. ^ "Gay couple 'removed from Soho pub for kissing'". BBC News. 14 April 2011.
  14. ^ Gabbatt, Adam (15 April 2011). "Hundreds attend kiss-in outside John Snow pub after venue closes its doors". The Guardian.