Interior of the Old Chelsea Bun House

Interior of the Old Chelsea Bun House painted by F. Shepherd in the year that it finally closed down and its building material and museum exhibits were sold at auction. The Chelsea Bun House was in Jews Row, Pimlico; from the early C18 when Swift frequented it the interior was decorated with foreign clocks and strange collections of natural curiosities. On Good Fridays huge crowds were drawn to the Bun House which was particulary famed for its baked goods, esp. the buns now known as 'Chelsea Buns'. This picture shows a white aproned and capped baker holding up a tray of buns, as a woman dressed in pink and a blue bonnet sits alone in the far corner and a watiress in green stands at a counter. The room is decorated with a strange gothic outdoor settle, a number of glass cases, some toy soldiers and several painted portraits.