That is a charming pen-picture of the Maypole's outward appearance, and beyond a little exaggeration as regards some details almost perfectly fits the "delicious" old inn to-day. Some topographers have seen fit to quarrel with the picture because the porch was never there as described by Dickens and because the gable ends could easily be counted without trouble, and because in their hurried visit they had failed to discover the old bricks and the warm garment of ivy wrapping its green leaves closely round the time-worn walls. But that is being meticulous, not to say pedantic, and if a visit is made to the back of the building this delightful simile can be thoroughly appreciated. Indeed, no more appropriate words could be found to describe its appearance to-day than those written by the novelist many years ago. Cattermole, who drew a picture of the inn for the book, went woefully wrong. He did not even follow Dickens's words, but drew a picture more representing an old English baronial mansion than an inn. Even granting that, before the Maypole was an inn it was a mansion, Cattermole very much overstepped the mark. History tells us that about 1713 the King's Head was used for sittings of the Court of Attachments, and that farther back in 1630 "the Bailiff of the Forests was directed to summon the Constables to appear before the Forest Officers, for the purposes of an election," at the "house of Bibby," which probably was no other than what became the King's Head at Chigwell. "In this quaint and pleasant inn," we are informed, "may still be seen the room in which the Court of Attachments was held." This evidently is the Chester Room to which we shall refer later. The same writer also mentions "an arched recess in the cellar, made to hold the wine which served for the revels of the Officers of the Forest, after the graver labours of the day." Let us follow the story of _Barnaby Rudge_ through, and see how everything in it focusses on the Maypole Inn.