Dr Johnson’s House is a museum in London dedicated to Samuel Johnson, who compiled the first English dictionary while living there in the 18th century. The house features an imposing chain guarding the front door, which Johnson fashioned as a security device. The house fell into disrepair but was restored by a British MP in 1911 and now serves as a museum and educational center. It is open six days a week and offers guided tours.
Dr Johnson’s House is a museum dedicated to the 18th century writer, Samuel Johnson, who put together the first complete English dictionary. Johnson lived in the house from 1748, and it was there that his dictionary was compiled. The house itself, located in Gough Square in London, is one of the few residential houses built around 1700 that still survives in the city.
Johnson had a life marked by hardships, including health and money problems. Although he was forced to leave Oxford without a degree, he has gone on to become one of the most important literary figures of all time. In 1737 he moved to London with a friend to become a journalist. Eventually, Johnson was commissioned to write the first English dictionary, which he and his assistants worked on for nearly a decade. Only a few years after its publication, however, financial difficulties caused the writer to leave Dr Johnson’s House.
An interesting feature of Dr Johnson’s House is an imposing chain guarding the front door. Samuel Johnson was often in debt and used his house as a refuge for his friends when they had nowhere to go. It was during these troubled times that Johnson fashioned his own security device as a way to keep people from stealing items from his family. The chain also prevented officials from arresting him and sending him to the nearby Fleet Prison for debtors.
Over the next half century, Dr. Johnson’s house fell into poor shape. It was eventually bought by Cecil Harmsworth, a British Member of Parliament, in 1911. The new owner spent several years renovating the house and restoring it to its original appearance before opening it to the public. During the Second World War, London was repeatedly bombed and the house was nearly destroyed several times.
The house now serves as a museum and educational center on the life story of Samuel Johnson, as well as a venue for biographical theater about his life and times. Dr Johnson’s House is open six days a week, excluding public holidays, and there is an entrance fee. Guided tours and private tours may also be available.
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