Will's Coffee House, Literary coffee house in Russell Street, London, England
Will's Coffee House was a coffee house at the corner of Bow Street and Russell Street in the Covent Garden area of London. It stood just steps from the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, which made it a natural stop for people coming and going from the playhouse.
Will Urwin opened the coffee house in the later half of the 17th century, during the Restoration period, under the sign of Will's. By the early 18th century its reputation as a gathering place for writers had faded, partly because a rival establishment across the street drew away its most prominent regulars.
John Dryden had a regular seat at Will's Coffee House, and over time that chair became so associated with him that people would come just to sit near him. The place drew poets, playwrights, and readers who treated it less like a café and more like an open literary gathering.
Will's Coffee House no longer exists, but the corner of Bow Street and Russell Street in Covent Garden is easy to find on foot. The area is part of a walkable neighborhood with several other places of interest nearby, so it fits naturally into a broader visit to the district.
Dryden's chair at Will's was moved to a different floor depending on the season, upstairs in winter and downstairs in summer, and visitors knew exactly where to find him at any time of year. The chair itself became so well known that it was reportedly sold as a curiosity after his death.
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