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Mont Blanc Restaurant

Coordinates: 51°30′42″N 0°7′53″W / 51.51167°N 0.13139°W / 51.51167; -0.13139
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Mont Blanc Restaurant
Map
Restaurant information
Closed1928
CityLondon
CountryUnited Kingdom

Mont Blanc Restaurant is a former restaurant in London where leading writers including Hilaire Belloc, G. K. Chesterton, Joseph Conrad and John Galsworthy met regularly in the early years of the 20th century.[1]

History

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The restaurant was located at 16 Gerrard Street in the Soho district of central London. It was closed in 1928.[2]

Mont Blanc circle

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Writer, critic and publisher Edward Garnett held regular Tuesday lunches at the restaurant where he nurtured the talent of many literary figures such as DH Lawrence, John Galsworthy and Liam O'Flaherty.[1] Chesterton and Belloc met at the restaurant in 1900 and subsequently developed a close friendship, apparently sealed over a bottle of Moulin-a-Vent.[2] In 1912, through Garnett's 'circle' of friends, Richard Curle was first introduced to Conrad and became his protégé, literary assistant and close friend.[3]

Commemorative Plaque

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In July 2010 the City of Westminster decided to commemorate the restaurant with one of its Commemorative Green Plaques.[2][4] The circular plaque reads:

SITE OF THE
MONT BLANC
RESTAURANT
WHERE LEADING WRITERS,
INCLUDING BELLOC,
CHESTERTON, CONRAD
AND GALSWORTHY, MET
REGULARLY IN THE
EARLY YEARS OF THE
20TH CENTURY

References

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  1. ^ a b Foden, Giles (1 December 2007). "The moral agent". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Literary great honoured with a green plaque Archived 2013-04-23 at archive.today. City of Westminster, 20 July 2010.
  3. ^ Hampson, Robert (1996). "Conrad, Curle and The Blue Peter". In Willison, Ian; Gould, Warwick; Chernaik, Warren (eds.). Modernist Writers and the Marketplace. Macmillan. p. 89.
  4. ^ Green Plaques Scheme Archived 2012-07-16 at the Wayback Machine. City of Westminster.
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51°30′42″N 0°7′53″W / 51.51167°N 0.13139°W / 51.51167; -0.13139