The Best British Pubs to Get Drunk on History

A 14-stop bar tour through Great Britain's past.

by Kavya Ram Mohan

14 Places

The British pub has long been part of Great Britain’s cultural fabric, dating all the way back to when the Romans set up the first taberna in England to supply wine for their invading troops. Since then, the ubiquitous watering holes have witnessed countless more historic events along the way.

These 14 pubs serve the local brew with a side of hidden history. Sit at the very booths where famous events took place, order a cold one, and soak in all the stories and scandal—along with the booze.

Nottingham, England

Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem

This pub in the oldest inn in England was, according to legend, used as a refreshment stop both for crusaders heading to Jerusalem in the 12th century and knights going off to battle.

Added by NottsForest

London, England

The Star Tavern

The Great Train Robbery, the Profumo affair, and countless other shady schemes were hatched in what is now a well-to-do London pub.

Colin McDonald

Added by Colin McDonald

Cambridge, England

The Eagle

While lunching at this Cambridge pub, Francis Crick announced that he and James Watson had discovered the DNA double-helix.

Added by williamebrown

London, England

The Sherlock Holmes Museum

This old London Pub has a peculiar secret upstairs: a detailed recreation of the rooms shared at 221b Baker Street by Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

Luke J Spencer

Added by Luke J Spencer

London, England

The Ten Bells Pub

Two of Jack the Ripper’s victims, Annie Chapman and Mary Kelly, both drank here often. In fact, Kelly was last seen here just an hour before she was murdered.

Added by allisonmarach

London, England

The Cockpit

This was a major venue for cock fighting before the bloody sport was banned in England and Wales in 1849. In recent years the pub has uncovered the balustraded galleries and changed the name back to "The Cockpit."

Rachel

Added by Rachel

London, England

The Dove

This literary pub is inextricably linked to spiteful printing feud and a famous typeface lost—then found—at the bottom of the Thames.

paulypaul

Added by paulypaul

Bury Saint Edmunds, England

The Nutshell Pub

The self-proclaimed “smallest pub in Britain” is a cozy little watering hole that was once home to a museum of sorts that showcased all manner of trinket and oddity.

alleywaykid

Added by alleywaykid

Claines, England

Mug House Pub

This is one of only two pubs in England to be situated on consecrated ground.

lukewildman

Added by lukewildman

London, England

Hidden Cells of Newgate Prison

The last remnants of old jail cells are rumored to be hidden in the Viaduct Tavern, an old Victorian gin palace across the street from the notorious Newgate prison.

Luke J Spencer

Added by Luke J Spencer

Coventry, England

Spon Street

Get a drink at the Old Windmill or any of the other pubs on Spon Street, a preserved block of timber buildings from industrial era of the Middle Ages.

Dr Alan P Newman

Added by Dr Alan P Newman

London, England

The Morpeth Arms

This pub was originally used as a prison and transfer facility for the old Millbank penitentiary, and later, as a deportation holding center for convicts being shipped off to Australia.

Added by paulmazz

Rawtenstall, England

Mr Fitzpatrick's Temperance Bar

Created during the temperance movement that swept through Lancashire near the end of the 1800s, this booze-free bar was the only store to survive.

alleywaykid

Added by alleywaykid

London, England

Old Shoreditch Station

Once a train station along the Great Eastern Railway, this vibrant coffee shop and bar is where members of London’s creative class mingle.

Gerard Nolan

Added by Gerard Nolan

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