Pubs with History: 9 of London’s Most Unusual Drinking Dens

It’s hard to find a more notable—or cozier—London pub than the Spaniards Inn. Located on the edge of Hampstead Heath (one of London’s largest and wildest green spaces), the Spaniards was close to poet John Keats’ former residence, and he’s said to have stopped by for a drink in between writing odes (Byron and Dickens were also supposedly regulars). Although its outlying location makes it something of a hidden London bar, the Spaniards Inn is worth visiting as part of a walking tour—or discovering independently.

Insider tip: With its popular Sunday roasts and roaring fireplace, the Spaniards Inn is particularly inviting during the fall and winter following a chilly Heath walk.

It’s hard to beat Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese—located on storied Fleet Street in the City of London—when it comes to history (or name—just don’t go looking for wheels of Cheshire cheese on the bar). One of London’s most unique pubs, it dates to around the time of the Great Fire in 1666, although its previous iteration, which sadly burned down, went back as far as 1538. Every nook and cranny in its higgledy-piggledy interior is suffused with that heritage, making it a must-visit stop on a historic London pub tour.

Insider tip: Don’t forget to head down to the pub’s vaulted cellars—they’re said to have belonged to a monastery, and date all the way back to the 13th century.

It’s right there in the name: The delightful, one-of-a-kind French House, a Soho institution, has more continental character than your average London pub. There’s the fact that wine is as popular as beer here—and that any beer you order is served by the dainty half-pint rather than the default British pint. Adding to its Gallic plaudits is the fact that General Charles de Gaulle escaped to London during World War II, and headed straight here to plan his next moves. A number of literary luminaries, from Dylan Thomas to Sylvia Plath, have also frequented this historic London drinking den. It’s a perfect stop on a Soho walking—and pub-crawling—tour.

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that if a pub’s name starts with “Ye Olde,” it’s probably, well, old. Ye Olde Mitre certainly counts: Sequestered down a narrow alley in Holborn, the pub was first built all the way back in 1546. Rumor has it that it was built for the Bishop of Ely’s servants—and that a young Queen Elizabeth I even danced around a cherry tree in its yard. Whether or not you buy that Lizzy liked to boogie here, it’s worth stopping by to slake your thirst with the pub’s range of real ales.

Most Jack the Ripper walking tours of London’s East End stop at The Ten Bells pub in Spitalfields, and for good reason. The centuries-old pub was formerly frequented by several of the Victorian-era serial killer’s victims—it’s said to be haunted today—and it’s likely that Jack himself was a regular. That means that the Ten Bells is forever inscribed in London pub history; still, despite the macabre associations, it remains a popular watering hole today, and a great place to start a night out in Shoreditch.

The Blackfriar could well be one of the most unusual pubs in London. Not only was it constructed on the site of a former Dominican friary, but the pub—a stone’s throw from the River Thames—was also decorated in art nouveau fashion by some of the era’s most notable creative types, including British sculptor Henry Poole and architect Herbert Fuller-Clark. Admire its mosaic frontage and stained-glass windows before discovering its lavishly decorated interior—and stopping for a drink, of course.

Before beer was the preferred drink among Londoners, gin was all the rage—so much that it inspired an 18th-century Gin Craze. A number of old pubs in London actually began as historic “gin palaces,” of which the Viaduct Tavern in Holborn is a particularly handsome example. Palace is no misnomer: Boasting patterned red ceilings, ornate carved wood, and painted glass fixtures, it’s as pretty as a picture—and a perfect stop on a historic London pub tour.

Insider tip: If you prefer a G&T to a pint of pale ale, then the Viaduct Tavern is for you. In honor of its gin-palace past, the pub offers a wide-ranging G&T menu that lets visitors customize their gins and garnishes.

When it comes to famous former customers, it’s hard to top William Shakespeare—and The George Inn has just that bragging right. The last galleried pub of its kind in the capital, this historic marvel, later rebuilt in the 17th century after a fire, is a stone’s throw from London Bridge and the Globe Theatre, where the Bard’s plays were performed (though rumor has it they were even put on in The George’s courtyard). Whether that’s truth or merely apocryphal, it’s still well worth stopping by for a pint as part of a South Bank walking tour.

It’s a quirky idea, that the famously puritanical Pilgrims who left for the New World aboard The Mayflower might have had a final round of drinks before boarding their vessel—but then again, The Mayflower is a quirky London drinking spot, so it’s entirely possible. Located in Rotherhithe, Southwark—a part of London long associated with maritime history—the pub that stands today is supposedly where that famous vessel set sail from. Today, it remains steeped in historical charm.

Insider tip: If you can prove a family link to one of the original Mayflower passengers, you’re eligible to sign the pub’s book of Mayflower Descendants.