Cogers

As a "Society of Thinkers", the Cogers is dedicated to the philosophy of letting everyone express their thoughts.

[citation needed] The aims of the Cogers were the promotion of the liberty of the subject and the freedom of the Press, the maintenance of loyalty to the laws, the rights and claims of humanity and the practice of public and private virtue.

[1] The first meeting in 1755 was at the White Bear Inn (now St Brides Tavern), Fleet Street.

In around 1850 it moved to Discussion Hall, Shoe Lane, and in 1871 migrated to the Barley Mow Inn, Salisbury Square, E.C.1, where it remained until the 1960s.

Then all participants may take turns to have their own five minutes on the podium expressing their views as to what, what's not, and what not on any subjects they feel they would like to bring to the evening.

The Apple of Discord is the symbol of Cogers. It is awarded to the speaker who makes the best contribution to the evening's debate.
1880s depiction of the Cogers' Discussion Hall in Shoe Lane. The image is based on an 1870 illustration, but the costume of the participants has been anachronistically aged to incorrectly make the scene appear earlier.
Behind the dragon is the Old Bank of England pub, where the main City Cogers meets each second Monday