Deacon Brodie's Tavern

It intrigues me how the two characters in history most often associated with dual identies are both Scottish. Jekyll & Hyde is the invention of Robert Louis Stevenson while William Brodie was a popular & important member of Edinburgh society in the mid-to-late 18th Century. Brodie was a cabinet maker, a Deacon of the Wrights & Masons (a trade guild) , a juror and a city councillor. He was also a burglar. Using his daytime job of cabinetry to glean information about the security mechanisms of his clients (some of the wealthiest people in Edinburgh), he would make wax impressions of their keys and revisit them in the night. Eventually, Brodie became the victim and was captured in 1788 in the Netherlands. He was shipped back to Edinburgh for trial where he and his henchmen George Smith were both found guilty & hanged at the Tolbooth on October 1, 1788. Ironically, a gallows that Brodie had designed & funded the eyar before was used to render him lifeless. It is this amazing double-life that, rumour has it, inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to create & pen The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, one of the most enduring of all stories. Deacon Brodie's Tavern is a traditional style 2-storyed pub on the Royal Mile and a popular watering hole. Food can be had upstairs while the downstairs seemed to be reserved for the drinkers. A delightful place to visit and escape the rain, or sun, if you're on the Royal Mile. In other news, Thierry Henry has reportedly thrown his weight behind the signing of Theo Walcott, something I'd truly love to see. Walcott is 16 years of age and already playing regular football for Southampton's youth squad. His agent claims he will be the next Wayne Rooney, but that's what they said about Freddy who? Adu. He's too young to make that kind of claim, but apparently he's full of tricky, savvy & speed. I'd love to see Thierry & Theo play together. It would seem that Chelsea is also trying to pry this kid away from Southampton, but hopefully Theo has his head up & is watching Wayne Bridge & Wright-Phillips languish on the bench at Chelsea. Let's hope so. Wastrel On! (Listening to: Papa Was a Rolling Stone by the Temptations)