Caricature of the Berners Street hoax by William Heath
The Berners Street hoax was perpetrated by the writer Theodore Hook in London in 1810. He made a bet that he could transform any property into the most talked-about address in London. He spent six weeks sending between 1000 and 4000 letters to tradespeople and businesses ordering deliveries of their goods and services to 54 Berners Street, London, at various times on the same day. Several well-known people were also invited to call on the address, including the chairmen of the Bank of England and the East India Company, the Duke of Gloucester, and the Lord Mayor of London. Chimney sweeps began arriving at the address at 5:00 am on the day, followed by hundreds of traders and businessmen; goods deliveries included organs, furniture, coal and a coffin. The police were not able to clear the street until after the final influx of visitors at 5:00 pm. Hook was unidentified at the time, but admitted his involvement in a semi-autobiographical novel published twenty-five years later. (Full article...)
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