Prince Henry's Room - a small, strange and interesting place in Fleet Street, in the heart of London. Strange it is at least the fact that the Prince Henry does not have any relation. It is interesting also because it is located in one of the few buildings City, survived the Great Fire of 1666.

A plot of land under the house originally belonged to the Knights Templar - just around the corner is the church of the Temple, which was the headquarters of the Order of the powerful in Britain. After his defeat in 1308 the site was handed over to the Knights, and after the dissolution of the Order, and in 1610 was built a tavern called "The coat of arms of Prince." Tavern built in the years of growing up Henry, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of King James I. The young prince was energetic and open, saw in it a promising successor, but in 1612 at the age of eighteen, he suddenly died of typhus. The coincidence of dates - the only connection between the tavern and the Prince: no indication that he came here, no.

But in the tavern, which later became known as "Fountain", a modest sign an official of the Navy Department, the most famous Londoner Samuel Pepys XVII century. He became famous for the fact that the diary, which described in detail the daily lives of the citizens of the Restoration, Greater London plague of 1665 and the Great Fire of London in 1666.

In 1975, "Prince Henry's room", located on the first floor of the building, Samuel Pepys Club posted a museum. Location was perfect: the room kept exquisite oak paneling and plaster the time of King James I (XVII century), it is a splendid stucco ceiling of the same era - probably the best available in London. The windows - great stained glass, though stylized, started in the XX century.

Now, however, the tourist will not get here: experts examined the building, the municipality of the City decides how to use it further. Nevertheless, in the house with such a history should simply look from the street. Photos captured image of the building in the XIX century - then it looks quite different than now. In 1900, it became clear that the set is not known when the false facade hides the original Frameworks 1610. For false facade hiding more and eight remarkable carved panels. Now the facade of the building was cleared, and it looks exactly how he had seen an honest chronicler terrible times of London official Samuel Pepys.