Having been to London once before I had already hit many of the "touristy" hotspots so this time I asked my personal tour guide, Glenn, to show me some of the historical pubs. I don't think there is a more qualified man alive today that knows historical London pubs inside and out.
The Holly Bush
Jamie Oliver's old flat across from The Holly Bush. He doesn't live there anymore. Apparently he grew tired of the drunks coming out of the Holly Bush and shouting, "Hey Jamie, make me a bacon sandwich!".
Ye Olde White Bear
On tap at the Olde White Bear.
A traditional "pub fare" lunch (White Bear).
The Spaniards Inn
Doggie wash at the Spaniards Inn. Apparently this is a very popular spot with the local dog walkers. After a stroll through nearby Hampstead Heath, dog owners bring their animals here for a quick rinse before heading into the pub for a pint. I can tell you it's well used too - there were 11 dogs in the pub by the time we left and more coming.
Ye Olde Mitre - Found this 16th century pub thanks to geocaching.com (GC4E4B). Very well hidden, so much so that we nearly missed it despite the fact that we were following the coordinates in my GPS. Funny thing is Glenn used to work in this area (read hit the pubs in this area) and he knew nothing about it.
We both really enjoyed it and stayed for several pints of Guinness and nibbled on Nobby's Nuts (watch the advert here).
The Red Lion This pub is midway between the House of Commons and 10 Downing Street. Back in the day you could spot the odd member of parliament tipping a glass on a late afternoon.
The Nell Gwynne Tavern...
A pint at the Cock and Bull...
The Railway - Once again my last pint in London was at this historical pub. This juke joint was once hopping with the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Pink Floyd just to name a few. Right next door was the old recording studio Decca Records that turned down a recording contract with the Beatles (don't feel too bad for them though, they later signed The Rolling Stones).
For an interesting read check out this link to some of the history behind the various pub names or "public house" names.
Finally a big shout out to Glenn and Donna for a great time.
Cheers,
BvT
1 comment:
Saw your photo of the Hollybush pub and wondered whether you knew that the name went back around 2000 years. Roman taverns hung bunches of vine leaves outside as a rudimentary sign but when the Romans invaded Britain they found precious few vines. they therefore improvised with any evergreen plant, hence names like Bush and Hollybush.
Elaine Saunders
Author: A Book About Pub Names
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