Magpie Alley marks the position occupied by the dorter (dormitory) of the Friary of the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel, commonly called the Whitefriars Monastery
After the dissolution of the monasteries the whole of this area became infested with thieves and all sorts of law breakers. They came here claiming sanctuary from the jurisdiction of the City, a liberty enjoyed by the friars before them.
It seems that, along with many other taverns, the Magpie was flourishing in Whitefriars Street during the mid-18th century. The food dished up by the landlord was so poor that the place earned the title of the ‘maggot pie’. Naturally, later landlords were overjoyed that the corruption process had been at work and along the way it had been changed to the Magpie.
Over the years the layout of Magpie Alley and its neighbours seems to have become just a little confused. At one time the Alley left Whitefriars Street approximately opposite to the Harrow public house, but that access has now been stopped. Access from the main street is now via Brittons Court. Complications are further deepened through the obliteration of George Court which used to be the western extension of Magpie Alley (from Glasshouse Alley).
Printers and booksellers colonised the area and from 1702, a newspaper - the Daily Courant. Nearly all other London newspapers followed the lead. Bouverie Street was the home of the News of the World for a while. A memorial to the hustle and bustle of the publishing days can be seen in Magpie Alley. Its tiled wall tells the story of the association of Fleet Street with publishing and printing through the ages.
