SWEENEY TODD: PART TWO: STRING OF PEARLS.PAGE 1In Sweeney Todd Part One, we asked the question, was the story of Sweeney and Mrs Lovett, true or false.Was he, really a life long murderer, whose motivation was greed and hatred, or was his real name Benjamin Barker, a man who having been grievously wronged, set out on a mission of vengeance against the man who had cruelly wronged, both him and his wife. In Part Two, we will start the investigation into the strange story of Sweeney Todd, first of all by taking a look at the account first published in a Penny Dreadful in the years 1846/47. This original version of Sweeney Todd, gives no account of his birth or childhood, merely informing the reader of the location of his combined home and business premises. This was close by the Church of St.Dunstan-in-the-West, which was situated at the western most end of Fleet Street. It was here that people would congregate to stand and gawk at the two figures which would strike the chimes at each quarter past the hour. The same clock is still there today, but the crowds don't seem to congregate any more to watch the spectacle. It could be a sign of our changing times.
THE PICTURE ABOVE IS FLEET STREET IN 1842, FORTY YEARS AFTER TODD WAS SUPPOSEDLY HANGED AND JUST FOUR YEARS BEFORE HIS NAME WAS FIRST MENTIONED IN PRINT WHEN THE STRING OF PEARLS WAS WRITTEN. His house is the last property on the right, immediately before St. Dunstan's Church. In the distance is Temple Bar. Bell Yard is beside it on the right hand side. This is where Mrs. Lovett had her pie shop. It gives you an idea of the distance between their two premises, though admittedly they appear to be a little bit further apart in the picture than they actually are. THE PICTURE BELOW IS ST. DUNSTAN'S CHURCH. THE TWO GIANTS AND THE BELLS ARE IN THE ALCOVE IN THE CENTRE OF THE PHOTOGRAPH, BEHIND THE CLOCK HANGING FROM THE WALL. TODD'S HOUSE IS THE ONE IMMEDIATELY ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE CHURCH.
Neither could there be any mistaking the nature of his business, it being identified by means of a long white pole, with a red curling stripe around it, which projected from his doorway into the street. On one of his window panes he advertised: Easy shaving for a penny,
Maybe it was not the kind of poetry that makes a Poet Laureate, but it did however, have the effect of clearly and precisely informing the public, as to what he was about. What the author thought about the barber's appearance, we are left in no doubt. He described him as a long, low jointed, ill put together sort of fellow, with an immense mouth, from out of which and at all sorts of odd times, came forth short, disagreeable and unmirthful laughter, when no-one else saw anything funny at all. If by any chance, all that wasn't sufficient, the author then goes on to tell us that, above a pair of eyes which squinted a little, he had an incomparable head of hair, possibly it's closest association being that of a thick set hedge, in which was entangled a quantity of small wire. With that kind of description I would have been inclined to avoid not only his barber shop but the whole of Fleet Street. Nevertheless, he seems to have run a most profitable business and was classed by his neighbours, as being well to do and most decidedly warm. In keeping with the customs of the day, Todd had an apprentice, whose name was Tobias Ragg. It was also not uncommon in those days to treat the apprentices worse than they would treat a dog and Sweeney Todd was no different. Now that you have enough background information, to imagine what impression Sweeney Todd would have conveyed to his customers, we will now aquaint ourselves with what happened according to the Penny Dreadful story entitled:THE STRING OF PEARLS: A ROMANCE. Return from Sweeney Todd, Part Two To A-London-Tourist-Guide Home Page.
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