Tags
Bristol, David Dickinson, Duke Ellington, Jazz, John Wayne, King Street Bristol, Music, place names, Public houses, pubs, The Duke, The Old Duke Bristol
Almost opposite “The Llandoger Trow” public house, which I mentioned in my previous post, is “The Old Duke“. A certain on-line encyclopaedia informs me that there is a record of a “Duke of Cumberland” public house being on King Street as early as 1775, but now the pubs name pays tribute to a very different Duke; Duke Ellington, the American composer, pianist and band leader.
To quote it’s own website, “The Old Duke is a music venue situated on the cobbled King Street in the heart of Bristol. Named after Duke Ellington, the pub has become world famous for it’s live traditional, New Orleans inspired Jazz music“.
I don’t know anything about jazz, but I find place names, especially the names of public houses, and the history behind them fascinating.
The name “The Old Duke” doesn’t bring anything immediately to mind, neither did the eye catching sign that I stopped to photograph, but I guess that’s because I’m not very musically inclined. “The Duke” however is a nickname common to the late Academy Award winning American actor John Wayne and antiques expert and television presenter David Dickson, so if I were to inherit a pub called “The Old Duke” a subtle name change might be in order.
The Antics Roadshow blog 