Chalk Farm Tavern
The Chalk Farm Tavern was a public house located in what is today Regent's Park Road in Primrose Hill, London. The first inn was located on Primrose Vale close to the historic Chalk Farm that gives its name to the area. It was a popular stop on the route for Londoners returning from a day out at Hampstead Wells on weekends and holidays. It had spacious rooms for entertainment as well as a pleasure garden. In 1837 a crowd of eight thousand was reported for a wrestling match. The area became notorious for duelling during the Regency Era, as it was located, like Putney Heath, beyond the outskirts of the city. In 1806 the poet Thomas Moore and Francis Jeffrey met at Chalk Farm, but the authorities arrived to arrest both men before shots were fired. A famous duel took place on 16 February 1821, when John Scott, the editor of The London Magazine, was fatally wounded by the barrister and literary critic Jonathan Christie. Scott was carried back to the tavern, where he died nine days later. Christie was tried at the Old Bailey for murder but was acquitted. Over the following decades the rural nature of the area