I had two memorable holidays in Hong Kong in the 1980s, staying with my newly wed cousins.
They had a spacious flat on the Peak, an address with social cachet but often enveloped in cloud so clothes quickly grew mould if humidifiers were not always on. A weekend in Macao, boat trips to islands, a drive (in an open top VW beetle) to the New Territories and a view down into China are among my memories but best of all was the junk and the gin palace that were provided by my cousin’s employer. The gin palace, High Chaparall, came with a crew, a speed boat, wind surfer and, of course, gin.
Paxton’s Head has been a public house since 1632 changing name a few times and completely rebuilt in 1900 by architect, George Dennis Martin. You may remember him for his Majestic Hotel in Harrogate where I stayed in 2022 for the first Wodehouse in the Springtime get-together; next March WitS will be held in Chichester, appropriately close to Emsworth. It is called after another architect, Joseph Paxton, who designed the Crystal Palace for the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park in 1851.
To digress, public houses continued to exist during the Commonwealth under Cromwell, but they were subject to increased moralistic regulation, as Puritan leaders sought to suppress activities seen as frivolous or sinful. The 1900 Paxton make-over has eradicated all evidence of its early days but it is now of the greatest architectural interest and a model of its style: gin palace.
“In the 18th century, gin shops or ‘dram shops’ were just small shops (often originally chemist’s shops as gin originally had medicinal associations) that sold gin mostly to take away or to drink standing up. As the legislation changed, establishments generally became larger and also had to be licensed and sell ale or wine. The earliest ‘Gin Palaces’ emerged in the 1830s, fitted out at great expense and lit by gas lights. They were thought to be vulgar at the time, although they were hugely popular. Charles Dickens described them as “perfectly dazzling when contrasted with the darkness and dirt we have just left…” in his Sketches by Boz.” (Wikipedia)
Features of a Victorian gin palace include island bars, snob screens (go to the Lamb in Lamb’s Conduit Street to see examples), ornate mirrors, etched glass and decorative carved wood. Paxton’s Head, on Knightsbridge opposite Knightsbridge Barracks is a sparkling gem.