Cigar Divan?

[bubblebelle]

I am just wondering if anyone has come across this?

I have found a distant relative on the census, occupation tobacconist, address Railway Cigar Divan.

Doing a Google search I think this could be a shop selling cigars with a smoking room, does anyone know whether I am on the right track or is it more likely that he just sold cigars.

I have looked in the wiki but there is nothing there.

I know it's not life threatening but I am interested to know, in my head I have a mix of opium dens and Bensons for Beds!

[Guest]

this is a link to a site with old occupations cannot find a Cigar Divan

http://www.familyresearcher.co.uk/glossary/Dictionary-of-Old-Occupations-Index.html

[Little Nell]

Can you give us the reference so we can look at the entry ourselves?

[Guest]

ooh here is an interesting link

http://www.uk-cigars.co.uk/places/cigarbars/cigarbars.htm

[bubblebelle]

Thank you Val, that is interesting and confirms what I thought, as I was reading individual entries on google and didn't find that one.

Little Nell, here is the entry
Source Citation: Class: RG10; Piece: 317; Folio: 18; Page: 31; GSU roll: 818894

or link to Ancestry... other genealogy sites are available

http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/7619/LNDRG10_316_319-0140/27518370?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3fdb%3duki1871%26h%3d27518370%26ti%3d5538%26indiv%3dtry%26gss%3dpt%26ssrc%3dpt_t56315951_p32208140391_kpidz0q3d32208140391z0q26pgz0q3d32768z0q26pgplz0q3dpid&ssrc=pt_t56315951_p32208140391_kpidz0q3d32208140391z0q26pgz0q3d32768z0q26pgplz0q3dpid&backlabel=ReturnRecord

see Henry Pye

[Guest]

I was surprised to find there was one in the street where my Husband lived

[bubblebelle]

It's amazing what pops up at times and what you learn within a hobby. I had never heard of these under this name, but I suppose it is like the 'coffee shops' in Middle Eastern countries where the men congregate and smoke shisha pipes.

[Guest]

poor souls need somewhere to relax unlike the hard working women

[Little Nell]

Well you live and learn. I'd never heard of this before. I suppose it was like a smoking lounge and they used the word "divan" to sound exotic.

[Guest]

I would imagine the men smoked a cigar or two in our Coffee shops years ago, cannot imagine them just wanting Coffee??

[bubblebelle]

It would be interesting to know what coffee would have been like in far off days. All the products then would have been very different not least water. I wonder if Mr Pye held a license to sell spirits etc.

Yes Nell it was a new one on me and I am waiting for Pointless to have some suitable category to pluck it out of the ether. Looking about the internet, cigar divans do continue in Cuba and I found some in the Far East, maybe that was what made me think of opium dens.