A week before we departed for London, Charlie and I were each busily researching and planning for our stay in London. One evening, after hours in front of the computer, I proudly held out a beautifully organized sheet detailing all the essential services we would need……Tube stations, laundry, post office, and grocery stores. I had even located the nearest grocery and Mapquested the walking directions. Charlie’s response was, “Well, that’s great, Honey, but I’ve found something really useful.” In his hand, was a list of the Top 20 historic pubs in, and around, London. Now, I don’t take well to being “one upped; ” however, I’m happy to concede on this one. We’ve not only enjoyed the food (and just a little ale), but we’ve found ourselves in some unique little corners and alleys of this great city. We all know the long history of London and the many historic figures who lived here; however, it’s a thrill to sit in the same room where they frequently met for meals or a pint of ale. No, we didn’t make it to all 20 pubs. Sadly, two have closed over the last couple of months, and we literally ran out of time to visit a few more. We did manage to hit the most of the pubs listed as well as one or two we stumbled across along the way. We hope to visit a couple more while we are in Greenwich tomorrow. For what it’s worth, we’ve picked our Top Five, and you’ll note that we’ve based our rating largely on the food and the historical significance of the establishment. Neither one of us knows “squat” about beer, and pubs aren’t generally known for their extensive wine cellars…….
Beginning with Number 5….. The Princess Louise –
This is an absolutely gorgeous 17th century pub that retains most of it’s original architectural features despite a recent refurbishing last year. The Princess Louise is primarily known for it’s long heritage, decor, and especially their food. They serve the traditional pub fare…fish and chips, cottage pie, steak and kidney pie (one of the best we tried…..and we tried a lot); however, they also offer more contemporary selections and lighter fare….salads, etc. The pub is now owned by the Samuel Adams Brewery, so not suprisingly, all their ale selections are from the Sam Adams family. While Trip Advisor places Princes Louise at Number Two, we had to go with fifth place, but the competition was rugged!
Number Four — The George Inn
Nice selection of ales, and the food was good; however, if you’re a fan, you can miss this pub which is a gold mine of memorabilia paying homage to the world’s most famous detective. Dating back to 1957, the pub is the youngest on the list. It is located in a split level building that once housed the Northumberland Arms. Sherlock Holmes fans will recognize this as the place where Holmes tracked down Francis Hay Moulton in “The Noble Batchelors.” There is a replica of Holmes’ and Watson’s sitting room that was assembled with the help of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s family. Pure fun along with really tasty, traditional pub fare.
Number Two — Haunch of Venison
This pub was not on our “official” top 20 list. We found Haunch of the Venison upon arriving in Salibury on our way to Stonehenge. This pub actually predates the George Inn. Haunch of Venison dates back to the early 1300s. At that time, it was a hostelry, used to house craftsmen working on the spire of Salisbury Cathedral. By the early 1400s the building was also reputedly a brothel. To spare locals and visiting clergy, a tunnel was built between the church and the tavern. More recently, we are told that Churchill met with Eisenhower in a small room off the bar during the planning of the D-Day invasion. So with all that, who cares about food? Well, we actually do, and Haunch of Venison serves up fabulous traditional pub items in addition to a few selections of game….including venison, of course. We can’t speak to the ale selection as we enjoyed a glass of wine with our meal. We would be remiss to leave this pub without sharing an interesting, though creepy, photo. Here it is:
This is a mummified hand discovered during the 19th century. It said to have been severed during a card game when the owner was caught cheating. Legend has it that he continues to haunt the pub. The hand was actually stolen in 2004; however, it reappeared under “mysterious” circumstances a few months later. Wonder of the owner reclaimed it for a while?
Finally, we come to our favorite pub in London….at least so far.
Number One– Ye Old Cheshire Cheese
At last, we are in total agreement with “the list.” This is hands down, the best pub we’ve come across in London. In fact, it rivals our all-time favorite, The Worlds End,” in Edinburgh. A bit of history–A pub has actually stood on this site since 1538. Prior to that time, the site formed part of the guest house of a 13th century monastery. We’re not certain of the date that the pub actually became Ye Old Cheshire Cheese; however, we know the original was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and was re-built in 1667. This place is loaded with history, and we only wish the walls could talk. It has seen the passage of 17 kings and queens and has hosted such notable literary giants as Samuel Johnson, Charles Dickens (who mentions the pub in The Tale of Two Cities), Tennyson, Conan Doyle, and Mark Twain.
The basement bar was part of a 13th century Carmelite Monastery guest house. We ate here on our first visit. The sticky toffee pudding is awesome, by the way.
Meet Polly, the stuffed parrot. Polly lived at The Cheese for forty years and entertained princes, ambassadors, and visitors from all over the world. Her death in 1926 was broadcast by the BBC , and her obituary appeared in over 200 newspapers worldwide. She remains above the ground floor bar.
This chair, was reportedly the property of Samuel Johnson and remains on prominent display in the main restaurant….note the sawdust on the floor. This is a long-standing tradition of The Cheese; although no one seems to remember why…..
This is the long corner table…said to be Johnson’s favorite. We’re told that he and other writers frequently met here.
Well, there you have it. Our top five picks for pub crawling in London, and although it’s a 90 minute train ride away, Haunch of Venison–and Salisbury–are worth the trip. Today, we will be leaving London; however, our ship doesn’t sail until late evening, so we have time for two more pub stops near the port in Greenwich. We’ll keep you posted!
Ta Ta!