In 1877 (according to the source cited here) Karl, afflicted with an incurable mental condition, moved to a sanatorium near Esslingen am Neckar where he remained for the rest of his life.
The cities were reputedly selected from the German Baedeker Tourist Guide to Britain, meeting the criterion of having been awarded three stars (for their historical significance), hence the English name for the raids.
An entry for the Eagle Ironworks is included in an extract from a fictitious version of the Baedeker guide.
The restaurant was, according to the Baedeker guide for 1866, a "large well-appointed establishment".
Dr. Friedrich Wilhelm Baedeker, cousin of Karl Baedeker, the famous travel guides editor, attended one of these meetings and experienced a religious conversion.
Two pages from a Baedeker published in Lyra's world (including entries for the Eagle Ironworks, the Oxford Canal, the Fell Press and the Oratory of St Barnabas the Chymist, all in the Jericho area of Oxford), a postcard from the character Mary Malone, and a brochure for the cruise ship Zenobia are also included.