London is known for its pub culture. However, these drinking establishments aren’t just a place to meet friends and sip pints of cask ale and enjoy rich British food like fish and chips or an ox and kidney pie. A lot of pubs have been around for centuries and are encased in their mythology. These are the five most interesting historical pubs that you should visit when you next visit London, the English capital. What’s the reason you’re looking at these suggestions? The Cockpit It is located in the Cockpit and is just a short walk away from St. Paul’s Cathedral, situated at the highest level of the City. Photograph Credits: Annapurna, A reputable pub with a long history in blood sports. It is located in close proximity to St. Paul’s Cathedral; the Cockpit is hidden away in a tiny ring of quaint avenues. As per the name of this establishment, it was home to indecent cockfights from the 18th century. this infamous past is reflected in its rooster-themed design and elevated gallery that is where the spectators previously stood.
The Cockpit’s history isn’t its sole historical relic. As per Johnny Warland of Liquid History Tours, “the site is more famous as the location of Shakespeare’s first house in London.” When you visit, grab one of the real ales and think about the many famous people, famous and not-so-illustrious, who once walked through the location. Ship Tavern Nestled amid Holborn’s museums, The Ship Tavern has been serving Londoners for more than an era. Image Credit: Annapurna, famous for its Sunday roast and the long-lost secret Mass. It’s difficult to beat with the Ship Tavern for history. This popular pub, situated close to Holborn, dates back to 1549. This moment in English history is crucial since, during King Henry VIII’s reign, Protestantism was declared to be the official religion of the state. This meant Catholics were required to attend church in secret, and this bar was one of the places to do it. “Catholic priests were known to sneak behind the bar and offer a secretive Mass to willing participants,” Warland mentions. “If the King’s men were spotted approaching on these narrow lanes, the priests would hide away while the congregation would pretend to enjoy a jolly good drink.
” The ghosts of priests who were arrested are believed to be haunting the bar today, though it’s not obvious when you go there on the weekend, with live music adding to the festive ambiance. Blackfriar Blackfriar pub is located in the City of London. Blackfriar Pub is located across the River from Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe. | Photo Credit: Annapurna Mellor An art nouveau beauty on Queen Victoria Street. True to its name, the Blackfriar was built upon the site of an old Dominican friary. It’s rare to discover pubs that have high-end artwork inside. The 19th-century pub is worth a visit because of its interior. British sculptor Henry Poole and architect Herbert Fuller-Clark influenced the lavish modern, art-deco design (as Warland notes, “the modern equivalent would be to ask David Hockney to decorate your pub”). You can spot stained glass windows and marble accents and reliefs of mother-of-pearl and brass. To add to its appeal in the cultural sense, The pub was saved from destruction in the 1960s by the United Kingdom’s poetry laureate, Sir John Betjeman, no less. The Princess Louise The Princess Louise, in all its Victorian beauty, is a Grade II listed structure.
Mellor restored Victorian pub that offers many beer choices. If their drinking holes are an indication that the Victorians were awestruck by design. Charles Dickens himself was a lover of the bar. In Sketches by Boz, he wrote about the bar he visited: “The gay building with the magnificently ornamented parapet as well as the illuminated clock and the windows of plate-glass covered with stucco rosettes and its apex of gas-lights with richly gold burners is absolutely stunning. …” To see an actual Dickensian masterpiece, visit the Princess Louise that is adorned with cut-out wooden elements as well as a gold-plated ceiling. The interior of the bar isn’t the sole allure–“both of the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan were said to have played up there,” Warland says. Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Fleet Street’s Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese might be the capital’s most well-known pub. Photo Credit: Annapurnamellor The place was once a favorite popular haunt for well-known English writers. In the spirit of Dickens, The Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese on Fleet Street was once frequented by the famous scribe along with famous figures like Mark Twain and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The oldest of pubs located in London, the pub dates back to the year 1667 (it was rebuilt following 1666’s Great Fire of London in 1666). however, there has been a pub on the location for a long time, since 1540. “The pub is seven stories in total, and Dickens’ favorite seat was to the right of the fire, under the portrait of the head waiter,” Warland says. Warland. When you visit, make sure to claim his seat and observe what happens when you feel inspired.