Beer Street v Gin Lane

Health to the Barley Mow! 

Labour and Art upheld by thee

Successfully advance

We quaff thy balmy juice with glee 

And Water Leave to France 

(Beer Street, William Hogarth)

Gin and The Glorious Revolution

In 1688 Dutch Prince William of Orange became King of England and brought over Dutch drink "Genever", kicking off the Gin Craze of the early 1700s. By the time William Hogarth engraved the infamous "Gin Lane" in 1751 gin consumption was 18 pints per person per year....

Gin Lane

Great to see Hogarth's "Gin Lane" close up in all its debauched glory- fights, death 

and a drunken mother dropping her baby- hence gin's nickname  “Mother’s Ruin”!

A 1689 Parliamentary Act banned the import of French wine and spirits and

 led to a massive increase in gin production. Also I found out Hogarth's pet pug was called "Trump"!!