Kiwi here. I worked the bar at the George for about 6 months around 1980 when having my northern hemisphere ramble aged about 30. Past 70 now. Fond memories.
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, generations of my family have had a few pints there. The dining room and basement areas are so authenticity old, the history just washes over you.
I'm fortunate to have had a pint and some fish and chips in the cellar of Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. Absolutely beautiful. The energy is present within! Mind your head! 🍻 😉
As an American tourist from California, I have had the pleasure of visiting your top 2 pubs, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese and the George Inn. I found the Chesire Cheese to be overrun with tourists like me. The George Inn was my favorite because of being able to really enjoy history just emanating from the walls and floors. The stories of ghosts in the cellar Dickens and Shakespeare (possible) connections all add to the feeling of traveling back in time.
I met some American tourists in the George when it was just a quick step from my office. As I sipped my pint I exchanged a few words, but was shocked to learn on this Historic tour to a pub no ale would be consummed.
I don’t mind tourists in the pub, especially if it’s a proper old-fashioned boozer. That’s generally a sign that they’ve done their research, care about quality, and are likely to be good pub company. I don’t understand the idea that tourists would reduce the “authenticity” or ambience of a place. I can think of a lot of London pubs where you’d never encounter a tourist. Most of those places have no authenticity, ambiance, or anything else to recommend them.
I grew up in Bermondsey and Rotherhithe, had many a pint in the Mayflower and the Blacksmiths Arms in Rotherhithe Street is another good old pub. Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is a fantastic pub to visit especially in the winter. Although I’m not sure how old it is, The Inn of Court in Holborn is another good pub. The landlord is a real gent, if he’s behind the bar he clocks you as soon as you walk in and straight away asks what you want, unlike some pubs where you can stand there unnoticed for five minutes before getting served.
My "lucky" guess was the George Inn. I remember going there for drinks with Harriet Harmon before she was an MP. The pub is actually quite large and IMHO very authentic.
Love all these places but the old Cheshire Cheese for me is the favourite because of the vaulted cellars. Great video summary and research. Many thanks.
I spent far more time than any person reasonably should trying to get to the bottom of this question (including a visit to the London Metropolitan Archives to try and find old licensing records) and broadly agree with your conclusions here. For a long time I was a firm believer that the Seven Stars, and its purported foundation date of 1602, was the oldest in London, using similar criteria that you applied here (that it had to be substantially still the same building etc) - and indeed it had all the ingredients, being just beyond the reaches of the great fire of London, and on the north side of Carey Street where it wouldn't have been demolished when the Royal Courts of Justice were built (as several other pubs on the street were) and similarly avoided the significant clearances in the area when Kingsway was built in the early 1900s. The Seven Stars for a long time seemed to be the only extant London pub from the 17th century without a clear record of it having burnt down or been demolished and rebuilt or whatever, and it seemed plausible a pub might have survived like that clinging onto the edge of one of the venerable inns of court. Alas though ultimately old maps and records from Lincoln's Inn seemed to show Carey Street wasn't laid out until the 1680s - the area to the south of Lincoln's Inn was just fields before that - which is probably why Pevsner said it couldn't have been built before then. In fact that development was specifically 1682, and it seems pretty likely the talk of the Seven Stars being established in 1602 (which I couldn't find any other source for) was just a typo - an 8 mistaken for a 0. It's a great pub though, so much character thanks to its wonderfully unique landlady today, Roxy Beaujolais. Similarly the age of the George is always a source of disappointment - the original building survived the great fire of London by virtue of being south of the river, only to burn down 10 years later in a fire that swept across Southwark. Still, 1676 really isn't bad for London, and it's still a beautiful building to behold.
This is great thank you, glad we are on the same wavelength and funny to think it’s a plain old typo! 🤣 and you’re totally right about the landlady. A gem!
Without doubt heart felt thanks Katie for your perfect summing up and thanks to John for your research. I am visiting London from the Isle of Wight this coming week. I would be gutted if I visited The Mayflower and left thinking I had been in London's oldest boozer. I think they are still spinning this tall tale on the river cruises. I plan to visit The Seven Stars, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese & The George. Beware of false dates on signage. Loved the video. Anthony, Ryde, Isle of Wight
i was told on a lights out podcast about the hellfire club that the george and vulture pub in London dates back to the 11th century . could this be true ?
@@coopsawright7225 intriguing! What was the evidence for that? Within the walls of the Roman city had only just been reestablished in the 10th century but I very much doubt there's any physical evidence of a pub that old - happy to be proved wrong though!
I was getting tense that there was no mention of Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese but glad to see it considered in the final round! Many happy Friday lunches spent in there in the past that probably went on longer than they should have done!
Lovely videos and great delivery. Expresses a great love of the greatest capital in the world! Would love to see an exploration of the Hawksmoor churches.
Lived and worked in London for many years, used to go to Lamb and Flag and Ye Old Cheshire Cheese, worked very close by. Lovely historic places, also been in some of the others such as Seven Stars mentioned.
I am Canadian, and visited London several years back. I was of the belief that the "The Cock" pub in Kilburn was one of the oldest from the 1430's. Had lunch at the "Spaniard Inn." Beautiful old world charm, including a dog and cat that chased each other around the pub.
I was thinking how fun it would be to do just that... but sadly I do not live there. And, when I did visit London I sought out places for Shepherd's pie and I would have orange squash and lemonade.
Thanks! And yes, it's never-ending what you can find in this city. Despite living here all my life and it being my full time job since 2015, I still have a HUEG list of things to visit / places to explore!
I'm in London every year, visiting from Canada. I've been in every one of these except for the Lamb & Flag. Have to visit when I'm there again this coming May. I like them all.
Very interesting video. I've been in some of these pubs as Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, The George Inn, Prospect Of Whitby, The Lamb & Flag. But what do you think about The Dove in Hammersmith and Ye Olde Mitre Inne est. 1636 in Barnet?
The Dove is an 18th century building and became a pub later in that century. The Olde Mitre in Barnet is early 17th in parts ... but is it in London? It was in Hertfordshire until 1965.
I'm surprised that most of these are reletively "Modern" by British standards? I supose the "Great Fire" and re-development by the Luftwaffe didn't help? Been to most of these wonderful venues on my annual London crawls, my personal favourite of these is the "Old Mitre" in Cambridgeshire! No longer true today but some will have to look that reference up? You say that the Wine bar doesn't count? I'm surprised as the village where I now live had a plethora of "Ale Houses", two hundred years ago to cater for the coaches that passed through, some of which later became pubs and Inns. The local historians seem date them from when they were just Ale Houses only selling their own home brew?
This videos are making me want to visit London big time. City of my birth, but entirely raised in one of the newest states in the US, so anything older than Elvis is ancient to me.
The George Inn, Borough is shown on a map of 1542 in the Duchy of Lancaster archive and known to predate that. In the Great Fire of Southwark of 1676 it was certainly burnt, no doubt rebuilt shortly after, but I look at the thickness of the ground floor walls and wonder if it was actually a refurbishment of the original, mediaeval, structure rather than a completely 'new' building. I am a resident of Borough and now it well. As for the Seven Stars, this is clearly adapted to the curtilage of the Searle's buildings of New Square, Lincoln's Inn, of which I have been a member for 40 years, hence its narrowness. Searle's buildings were erected from 1680 -90 so creating the plot for it' along with the other neighbouring narrow structures on Carey Street.
I thought you might mention The Blackfriar but I looked it up myself and it looks like it was built about 1875 but I'm sure the Friars were busy brewing long before that. I wasn't surprised to see the Mitre, my occasional local when I was working on the edge of Holborn Circus. As usual, a very interesting and well informed presentation Katie.
Thanks Keith, yes the Blackfriar is a great little pub but as you say, it's only 19thC. Although yes I imagine the Friars were doing a fair bit of brewing! Glad you enjoyed it!
For me my favourite of the ‘old’ pubs is the Mitre, the hidden location and the compact, wooden lined interior makes you think this is what ancient pubs should be like.
Although I knew it wasn't authentically old I do like the Cittie of Yorke on High Holborn. It has a lovely feel to it and I like that you have all the separate booths you can sit in. Plus the beer is pretty cheap for London.
I grew up living above the Two Chairmen, in Warwick House St, just off Trafalgar Square. This was from the 1600’s but, l found on a recent visit that it’s been turned into flats!
Don’t know if there was something older there before but I think the pub is/was only Victorian. Glad it’s a somewhat sensitive refurb! www.theresident.co.uk/homes-interiors/property-of-the-week-trafalgar-square-pub-transformed-into-luxury-turnkey-rental/
Good idea, but not all on the same day! Lamb & Flag is one of my favourite pubs in London, Spaniards is good and reputed to be a haunt of Highwaymen.The Prospect is a great pub on the river and is worth a visit as is The George, a real good place to visit after the Globe Theater facsimile.
Loved this Katie. We have frequented a fair few of those. I think the George Inn and Cheshire Cheese are my favourites out of these. Still need to do some homework though and check up on the others! Thanks so much for sharing x
Hey Kate, what about "The Ten Bells", at the corner between Commercial Street and Fournier Street? It claims to be established in 1666 (so I guess just after the big fire). I was kind of expecting this pub to be mentioned in your video.
My Auntie was the landlady of the Portobello Star for 30 years and I keep asking her to write a memoir or record some old stories cause some of them are so funny!! 😎
If it’s still around, The Hope & Anchor is one I always wanted to visit. Plus, I was always fascinated with pubs no longer there like The Speakeasy or Bag O’Nails for their places in Rock N Roll History.
What an excellent video. I agree with your conclusions, and I can honestly say I have been in most of the establishments listed - for scientific reasons obviously. However, you failed to mention the Angel in Rotherhithe? This I think is on an old established site, but the building is probably 18th century. Cheers Bob
A great pub! Historic England said 1830s so didn’t include it as then opens the floodgates and the video would be 3 hours long 🤣 but it does say it might incorporate and 18th century earlier building too, in ant case has some of the most spectacular sunset views over the Thames 🙌🏼
The Fleet Street pub crawl used to offer darts in every pub when a working newspaper street , with a great pint of Samuel Smiths at the Cheshire Cheese . As a surveyor it really is difficult to date any of these pubs especially after being drunk in all of them , and probably my favourite when living in East London decades ago and being a real ale fan in the 70s and 80s , back then it would have been a toss up between The George as it often had reenactors playing in the courtyard or The Cheese as I believe it was the only outlet of Sammy Smiths in London as the only other outlet for this fine beer at that time , the Chesham Arms at Homerton is not old enough . The Old Hall nearby is worth a visit . I doubt if you would find a dart board in any of the pubs in Fleet St. now !
Been to 2 of the ones mentioned, The George and Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. I prefer the former mostly because of the outside to be honest. Great place to drink on a warm summer night... or day.
Thanks Katie. Some very interesting information there. Goes to show that appearances can be deceptive. One thing I also wondered, is how long the pub that is within the Tower Of London has been there, i.e. the pub used by the yeoman warders.
Oooh good question! I did think about that one but again, it's a complicated answer. The pub that exists today has only been there for about 150 years but there has been a pub on site for far longer! lookup.london/tower-of-london-secret-pub/
Well done for this one Katie. Probably the best and most honest assessment I've heard of London's historic pubs. It only takes a tiny little part of the pub, even just the name for it to claim to be the oldest. From my research I believe the rather unpretentious Seven Stars to be a very strong contender.
Thanks John, it's one of my favourites too - just such a nice traditional pub feeling and think the small size helps. It's a very tricky question to settle so really glad you enjoyed the nuanced (or perhaps long-winded!) response :)
Look Up London Not long-winded at all, it's necessary to explain these things. I've always liked Carey Street, it like the pub is understated, and doesn't seem to shout look at me! Although it is none the less a quietly impressive street.
The George is a special pub (and did Shakespeare visit ?), but I favour the Lamb and Flag, not only for it's age and character - but it is a Fullers pub serving the best beer in the world - London Pride !! (likewise the Mitre is a great little pub too). I may have to double check some of these pubs when possible ...... (and I do have a soft spot for the Dove in Hammersmith)
Fascinating and funny to think of all the times I almost feel "tricked" 😄...dont mention The Jerusalem Tavern in Farringdon that proudly states 1720 but actually wasnt a pub until 1990s 😂
Haha exactly, we've all been there! My first reaction of the "older-looking" London buildings is scepticism because I assume they're just Victorian rebuilds!
Hoping to head to London city in Sept to visit the Harry Potter studio tour for my daughters 13th birthday. Not historical- but what would you recommend us to take her to? She’s autistic, so it can’t be too overwhelming in terms of crowding. I was thinking London eye and possibly Madame T’s? Anything else that we should consider? Coming from Loch Lomond in Scotland so not regular visitors to London
Hello! Sorry for not replying earlier, I must’ve missed this comment. The great thing at the moment is that many attractions aren’t their usual busy level and so perhaps somewhere with a lot of space would ensure it’s calmer? Personally I really don’t see the appeal in Madame Tussaud’s, but there’s lots of parks and green spaces if the weather is good. Does she enjoy museums? London has some amazing free ones too - Natural History Museum, Science and V&A are all great and although they can get noisy with visitors during peak times, often there are upper floors that are a lot quieter.
Hi, on a visit to London many many years ago, i went to a pub with a friend that was supposed to be made up from bits of the Spanish Armada, for the life of me cant think of the name , can you help with any details, thanks
It's got to be The George off Borough High Street all the way. I first visited it on my 14th birthday (hrrrrumph years ago). There used to be a stage at the end of the alley where Shakespearian plays were performed.
I love that one too! Have you read 'Shakespeare's Local' all about it? Sadly there's no concrete evidence Shakespeare ever visited but seems like he surely must've given the proximity! And like the book says - there's no evidence he didn't visit either!!
Good one! Been to the Mitre, so I will hoping for that. Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese I never took seriously as it seemed too touristy. And as far as coaching inns in London I distinctly remember one in Barnes, I’m pretty sure. But I don’t know if you count that as London.
Back in 2018 myself and some friends took a Friday off, as most of these are closed on the weekend. Dressed up as city boys. And crawled some of the pubs with a claim. Here’s where we went.. The George Anchor Bankside Jamaica wine house el vino The old wine shades Ye Olde Watling The Viaduct Tavern Ye Old Mitre Cittie of Yorke The Old Bell Tavern Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Ye Olde Cock Tavern The Old Bank Of England The Seven Stars The White Hart Lamb & Flag (didn’t get here before closing)
I worked around the corner from the Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese for a few years. It was always our go to pub on Fleet Street from that job. To me it IS the oldest pub in London. I never believed in Science anyway....
Hmm, Historic England doesn't mention anything earlier but maybe the cellars are older historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1079156?section=official-list-entry@@sirdudleynightshade8747 Guess i'll *have* to revisit for some investigation!
Yes! Very good point and as I didn't explain the full reason behind the type shortening and corruption over time I just went with 'Ye', but you're quite right!
Great and very detailed video Katie. I love seeing people's reaction when I take them into the Cheshire Cheese! I remember the Tipperary across the street has a claim to be older, how does that one fit your criteria?
Thanks Rhys! I would say although Tipperary was first built 1667, it's been altered a lot more than the Cheshire Cheese, Pevsner says interiors are 1898 and Historic England says exterior is 20thC so didn't make the cut!!
@@LookUpLondon The "Tipp" was burnt in the Great Fire but was stone built and refurbished. It was popular with Irish soldiers in WW1 as it apparently had the best Guinness in London !!
Sorry to be pedantic, but the "Y" on "Ye Olde" is not a "Y", it's a "Þ" (thorn), and it's pronounced "TH". Thus "Ye Olde" should be pronounced "The Olde", which is something that you might want to mention to tourists when you take them to "Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese". :-)
I spent some time in the Old Cheddar Cheese (Fleet Street). I Know after the great fire above ground it was rebuilt ,... but below the surface the cellar area was a drinking place for the Monks living there in the 12th. Century...comments please!
There are genuine Medieval monastic ruins nearby (The Carmelites on Whitefriars Street) but I haven’t seen any good source supporting that claim for the vaults under the Cheshire Cheese and it doesn’t work map-wise 🤷🏻♀️
Love these videos (would be great if there was a music track quietly underneath your dialogue) but I'm worried about your voice. Maybe you should take a break and rest those vocal chords, lots of Throat Coast tea w/honey? Best of luck!
Kiwi here. I worked the bar at the George for about 6 months around 1980 when having my northern hemisphere ramble aged about 30. Past 70 now. Fond memories.
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, generations of my family have had a few pints there. The dining room and basement areas are so authenticity old, the history just washes over you.
I'm fortunate to have had a pint and some fish and chips in the cellar of Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. Absolutely beautiful. The energy is present within! Mind your head! 🍻 😉
As an American tourist from California, I have had the pleasure of visiting your top 2 pubs, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese and the George Inn. I found the Chesire Cheese to be overrun with tourists like me. The George Inn was my favorite because of being able to really enjoy history just emanating from the walls and floors. The stories of ghosts in the cellar Dickens and Shakespeare (possible) connections all add to the feeling of traveling back in time.
I met some American tourists in the George when it was just a quick step from my office. As I sipped my pint I exchanged a few words, but was shocked to learn on this Historic tour to a pub no ale would be consummed.
I don’t mind tourists in the pub, especially if it’s a proper old-fashioned boozer. That’s generally a sign that they’ve done their research, care about quality, and are likely to be good pub company. I don’t understand the idea that tourists would reduce the “authenticity” or ambience of a place. I can think of a lot of London pubs where you’d never encounter a tourist. Most of those places have no authenticity, ambiance, or anything else to recommend them.
I grew up in Bermondsey and Rotherhithe, had many a pint in the Mayflower and the Blacksmiths Arms in Rotherhithe Street is another good old pub. Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is a fantastic pub to visit especially in the winter. Although I’m not sure how old it is, The Inn of Court in Holborn is another good pub. The landlord is a real gent, if he’s behind the bar he clocks you as soon as you walk in and straight away asks what you want, unlike some pubs where you can stand there unnoticed for five minutes before getting served.
You have the most-pleasant voice on the Internet. I wish I could have your voice on my GPS directions. ☺
Keep up the great work, Katie.
My "lucky" guess was the George Inn. I remember going there for drinks with Harriet Harmon before she was an MP. The pub is actually quite large and IMHO very authentic.
Love all these places but the old Cheshire Cheese for me is the favourite because of the vaulted cellars. Great video summary and research. Many thanks.
My sister and I were lucky when we visited Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. It was a cold mizzly day and the pub was a warm welcome and not full of tourists.
Thank you for this Katie. We did the Thames Rockets the other weekend and they said the Anchor Bankside (34 Park St, London SE1 9EF) was the oldest 😂
I spent far more time than any person reasonably should trying to get to the bottom of this question (including a visit to the London Metropolitan Archives to try and find old licensing records) and broadly agree with your conclusions here. For a long time I was a firm believer that the Seven Stars, and its purported foundation date of 1602, was the oldest in London, using similar criteria that you applied here (that it had to be substantially still the same building etc) - and indeed it had all the ingredients, being just beyond the reaches of the great fire of London, and on the north side of Carey Street where it wouldn't have been demolished when the Royal Courts of Justice were built (as several other pubs on the street were) and similarly avoided the significant clearances in the area when Kingsway was built in the early 1900s. The Seven Stars for a long time seemed to be the only extant London pub from the 17th century without a clear record of it having burnt down or been demolished and rebuilt or whatever, and it seemed plausible a pub might have survived like that clinging onto the edge of one of the venerable inns of court.
Alas though ultimately old maps and records from Lincoln's Inn seemed to show Carey Street wasn't laid out until the 1680s - the area to the south of Lincoln's Inn was just fields before that - which is probably why Pevsner said it couldn't have been built before then. In fact that development was specifically 1682, and it seems pretty likely the talk of the Seven Stars being established in 1602 (which I couldn't find any other source for) was just a typo - an 8 mistaken for a 0.
It's a great pub though, so much character thanks to its wonderfully unique landlady today, Roxy Beaujolais.
Similarly the age of the George is always a source of disappointment - the original building survived the great fire of London by virtue of being south of the river, only to burn down 10 years later in a fire that swept across Southwark. Still, 1676 really isn't bad for London, and it's still a beautiful building to behold.
This is great thank you, glad we are on the same wavelength and funny to think it’s a plain old typo! 🤣 and you’re totally right about the landlady. A gem!
Without doubt heart felt thanks Katie for your perfect summing up and thanks to John for your research. I am visiting London from the Isle of Wight this coming week. I would be gutted if I visited The Mayflower and left thinking I had been in London's oldest boozer. I think they are still spinning this tall tale on the river cruises. I plan to visit The Seven Stars, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese & The George. Beware of false dates on signage. Loved the video. Anthony, Ryde, Isle of Wight
@@AnthonyGreenman - You can't go wrong visiting the Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese mate. Fabulous history. Enjoy your trip.
i was told on a lights out podcast about the hellfire club that the george and vulture pub in London dates back to the 11th century . could this be true ?
@@coopsawright7225 intriguing! What was the evidence for that? Within the walls of the Roman city had only just been reestablished in the 10th century but I very much doubt there's any physical evidence of a pub that old - happy to be proved wrong though!
I was getting tense that there was no mention of Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese but glad to see it considered in the final round! Many happy Friday lunches spent in there in the past that probably went on longer than they should have done!
Haha sorry to keep you on edge! Yes it's a great little hideaway, especially with so many rooms (and lack of phone signal! - A perfect escape)
I visited the Prospect of Whitby in July 2022, very interesting spot, especially the noose over the river to warn the pirates to stay away.
Lovely videos and great delivery. Expresses a great love of the greatest capital in the world! Would love to see an exploration of the Hawksmoor churches.
Lived and worked in London for many years, used to go to Lamb and Flag and Ye Old Cheshire Cheese, worked very close by. Lovely historic places, also been in some of the others such as Seven Stars mentioned.
Been following you for a year or so on Twitter. So lovely to hear your voice!
Thank you!
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is fantastic. Can't recommend visiting it enough. Great work!
crossing the road to get into the Spaniard's Inn is a challenge that few are brave enough to attempt or lucky enough to complete
I am Canadian, and visited London several years back. I was of the belief that the "The Cock" pub in Kilburn was one of the oldest from the 1430's. Had lunch at the "Spaniard Inn." Beautiful old world charm, including a dog and cat that chased each other around the pub.
Fantastic, really loved this historical vlog. So so interesting & I’m itching to get started on the pub crawl, taking them all in 🍺
I was thinking how fun it would be to do just that... but sadly I do not live there. And, when I did visit London I sought out places for Shepherd's pie and I would have orange squash and lemonade.
I love The George Inn! Enjoyed the video - definitely worth a trip to visit some of those!
Thanks Henry, yes all are well worth a visit! :)
I thoroughly enjoyed that, Katie! Looking forward to checking a few of those out, especially the George in Southwark!
Thanks Chris! Yes it’s a great place - very busy on sunny days as you can imagine!
I absolutely love this kind of content!! New places to visit despite having toured London SO many times.
Thanks! And yes, it's never-ending what you can find in this city. Despite living here all my life and it being my full time job since 2015, I still have a HUEG list of things to visit / places to explore!
A well thought-out and well presented video; thanks!
Looks like I will have to add the Seven Stars to our next pub crawl around the City.
Great video. I might need to visit more of these pubs the next time I am in London.
I'm in London every year, visiting from Canada. I've been in every one of these except for the Lamb & Flag. Have to visit when I'm there again this coming May. I like them all.
Great video, Katie. Thanks for sharing.
Oh also the cellars under The Flask in Highgate are reportedly pretty old. It's still used as the beer cellar.
Very interesting video. I've been in some of these pubs as Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, The George Inn, Prospect Of Whitby, The Lamb & Flag. But what do you think about The Dove in Hammersmith and Ye Olde Mitre Inne est. 1636 in Barnet?
The Dove is an 18th century building and became a pub later in that century. The Olde Mitre in Barnet is early 17th in parts ... but is it in London? It was in Hertfordshire until 1965.
Great video, my favourite pub is the grapes in Narrow St ;-)
Thank you so much for making your videos, they're such fun, and you've created the most lovely channel.
I'm surprised that most of these are reletively "Modern" by British standards? I supose the "Great Fire" and re-development by the Luftwaffe didn't help?
Been to most of these wonderful venues on my annual London crawls, my personal favourite of these is the "Old Mitre" in Cambridgeshire! No longer true today but some will have to look that reference up? You say that the Wine bar doesn't count? I'm surprised as the village where I now live had a plethora of "Ale Houses", two hundred years ago to cater for the coaches that passed through, some of which later became pubs and Inns. The local historians seem date them from when they were just Ale Houses only selling their own home brew?
This videos are making me want to visit London big time. City of my birth, but entirely raised in one of the newest states in the US, so anything older than Elvis is ancient to me.
Gotta go visit the olde county!
no mileage for the Prospect of Whitby? Very interesting and well put together video. Many thanks. Tom (from France)
The George Inn, Borough is shown on a map of 1542 in the Duchy of Lancaster archive and known to predate that. In the Great Fire of Southwark of 1676 it was certainly burnt, no doubt rebuilt shortly after, but I look at the thickness of the ground floor walls and wonder if it was actually a refurbishment of the original, mediaeval, structure rather than a completely 'new' building. I am a resident of Borough and now it well.
As for the Seven Stars, this is clearly adapted to the curtilage of the Searle's buildings of New Square, Lincoln's Inn, of which I have been a member for 40 years, hence its narrowness. Searle's buildings were erected from 1680 -90 so creating the plot for it' along with the other neighbouring narrow structures on Carey Street.
I thought you might mention The Blackfriar but I looked it up myself and it looks like it was built about 1875 but I'm sure the Friars were busy brewing long before that. I wasn't surprised to see the Mitre, my occasional local when I was working on the edge of Holborn Circus. As usual, a very interesting and well informed presentation Katie.
Thanks Keith, yes the Blackfriar is a great little pub but as you say, it's only 19thC. Although yes I imagine the Friars were doing a fair bit of brewing! Glad you enjoyed it!
For me my favourite of the ‘old’ pubs is the Mitre, the hidden location and the compact, wooden lined interior makes you think this is what ancient pubs should be like.
Brilliant as always, Katie. My favourite one is the George.
Love this stuff...thank you !
Although I knew it wasn't authentically old I do like the Cittie of Yorke on High Holborn. It has a lovely feel to it and I like that you have all the separate booths you can sit in. Plus the beer is pretty cheap for London.
That is very true! I like it as a pub too and as a Sam Smith pub the drinks are always fairly reasonable!
I grew up living above the Two Chairmen, in Warwick House St, just off Trafalgar Square.
This was from the 1600’s but, l found on a recent visit that it’s been turned into flats!
Don’t know if there was something older there before but I think the pub is/was only Victorian. Glad it’s a somewhat sensitive refurb! www.theresident.co.uk/homes-interiors/property-of-the-week-trafalgar-square-pub-transformed-into-luxury-turnkey-rental/
Good idea, but not all on the same day! Lamb & Flag is one of my favourite pubs in London, Spaniards is good and reputed to be a haunt of Highwaymen.The Prospect is a great pub on the river and is worth a visit as is The George, a real good place to visit after the Globe Theater facsimile.
Loved this Katie. We have frequented a fair few of those. I think the George Inn and Cheshire Cheese are my favourites out of these. Still need to do some homework though and check up on the others! Thanks so much for sharing x
Nice! You're welcome and glad you enjoyed it. George and Cheshire Cheese are pretty hard to beat on atmosphere in a cold evening!
@@LookUpLondon agreed!
Thanks Katie not on the list as it’s too new but The Grapes in Wapping is a great pub, maybe a segue into a video Thames side pubs
Hey Kate, what about "The Ten Bells", at the corner between Commercial Street and Fournier Street? It claims to be established in 1666 (so I guess just after the big fire). I was kind of expecting this pub to be mentioned in your video.
Thank you for this review - what about The Grapes pub - allegedly 500 years old?
My Auntie was the landlady of the Portobello Star for 30 years and I keep asking her to write a memoir or record some old stories cause some of them are so funny!! 😎
If it’s still around, The Hope & Anchor is one I always wanted to visit. Plus, I was always fascinated with pubs no longer there like The Speakeasy or Bag O’Nails for their places in Rock N Roll History.
Having followed your advice previously to explore I think it only right to add some of these to my list of places to visit on my trips to the smoke!
Ah thanks Lucy! So glad the videos are helpful!
What an excellent video. I agree with your conclusions, and I can honestly say I have been in most of the establishments listed - for scientific reasons obviously. However, you failed to mention the Angel in Rotherhithe? This I think is on an old established site, but the building is probably 18th century. Cheers Bob
A great pub! Historic England said 1830s so didn’t include it as then opens the floodgates and the video would be 3 hours long 🤣 but it does say it might incorporate and 18th century earlier building too, in ant case has some of the most spectacular sunset views over the Thames 🙌🏼
The Fleet Street pub crawl used to offer darts in every pub when a working newspaper street , with a great pint of Samuel Smiths at the Cheshire Cheese . As a surveyor it really is difficult to date any of these pubs especially after being drunk in all of them , and probably my favourite when living in East London decades ago and being a real ale fan in the 70s and 80s , back then it would have been a toss up between The George as it often had reenactors playing in the courtyard or The Cheese as I believe it was the only outlet of Sammy Smiths in London as the only other outlet for this fine beer at that time , the Chesham Arms at Homerton is not old enough . The Old Hall nearby is worth a visit . I doubt if you would find a dart board in any of the pubs in Fleet St. now !
I have visited few my fav is the Prospect of Whitby just love the view.
On a sunny day that definitely is a wonderful spot overlooking the river! I felt bad for dismissing it because of the later architecture!!
@@LookUpLondon Although a bit grim watching convicts washed by three tides back in the day
Been to 2 of the ones mentioned, The George and Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. I prefer the former mostly because of the outside to be honest. Great place to drink on a warm summer night... or day.
The Dove Inn on the river in Hammersmith - thought thwir front bar was meant to be pretty old!
Thanks Katie. Some very interesting information there. Goes to show that appearances can be deceptive. One thing I also wondered, is how long the pub that is within the Tower Of London has been there, i.e. the pub used by the yeoman warders.
Oooh good question! I did think about that one but again, it's a complicated answer. The pub that exists today has only been there for about 150 years but there has been a pub on site for far longer! lookup.london/tower-of-london-secret-pub/
Had a great time at the bag o nails pub
Well done for this one Katie. Probably the best and most honest assessment I've heard of London's historic pubs. It only takes a tiny little part of the pub, even just the name for it to claim to be the oldest. From my research I believe the rather unpretentious Seven Stars to be a very strong contender.
Thanks John, it's one of my favourites too - just such a nice traditional pub feeling and think the small size helps. It's a very tricky question to settle so really glad you enjoyed the nuanced (or perhaps long-winded!) response :)
Look Up London Not long-winded at all, it's necessary to explain these things. I've always liked Carey Street, it like the pub is understated, and doesn't seem to shout look at me! Although it is none the less a quietly impressive street.
Great video. I really like the Lamb and Flag.
Cheers Jason!
The George is a special pub (and did Shakespeare visit ?), but I favour the Lamb and Flag, not only for it's age and character - but it is a Fullers pub serving the best beer in the world - London Pride !! (likewise the Mitre is a great little pub too). I may have to double check some of these pubs when possible ...... (and I do have a soft spot for the Dove in Hammersmith)
What about The Flask in Highgate? It's an old drover's inn, and I recall it as being quite old.
Love a pub with History
i like the george and many of the others mentioned - while its not one the oldest the blackfriars is one hell of an experience
Is The Druid's Head in Kingston worth a mention?
Fascinating and funny to think of all the times I almost feel "tricked" 😄...dont mention The Jerusalem Tavern in Farringdon that proudly states 1720 but actually wasnt a pub until 1990s 😂
Haha exactly, we've all been there! My first reaction of the "older-looking" London buildings is scepticism because I assume they're just Victorian rebuilds!
Fab vlog & super interesting
Hoping to head to London city in Sept to visit the Harry Potter studio tour for my daughters 13th birthday. Not historical- but what would you recommend us to take her to? She’s autistic, so it can’t be too overwhelming in terms of crowding. I was thinking London eye and possibly Madame T’s? Anything else that we should consider? Coming from Loch Lomond in Scotland so not regular visitors to London
Hello! Sorry for not replying earlier, I must’ve missed this comment. The great thing at the moment is that many attractions aren’t their usual busy level and so perhaps somewhere with a lot of space would ensure it’s calmer? Personally I really don’t see the appeal in Madame Tussaud’s, but there’s lots of parks and green spaces if the weather is good. Does she enjoy museums? London has some amazing free ones too - Natural History Museum, Science and V&A are all great and although they can get noisy with visitors during peak times, often there are upper floors that are a lot quieter.
My favourites are Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese and The George!
The original "Cheese" was built on the same footprint in 1528/30
Hi, on a visit to London many many years ago, i went to a pub with a friend that was supposed to be made up from bits of the Spanish Armada, for the life of me cant think of the name , can you help with any details, thanks
It's got to be The George off Borough High Street all the way. I first visited it on my 14th birthday (hrrrrumph years ago). There used to be a stage at the end of the alley where Shakespearian plays were performed.
I love that one too! Have you read 'Shakespeare's Local' all about it? Sadly there's no concrete evidence Shakespeare ever visited but seems like he surely must've given the proximity! And like the book says - there's no evidence he didn't visit either!!
The Old Spotted Dog was my favourite pub, but I don't know why it closed down. East London is getting derelict
Thanks so much for doing this. From your TikTok fan
Yay! Glad you enjoyed it, as I said, not quite the satisfactory answer but there’s rarely a simple one with questions like this!
Good one! Been to the Mitre, so I will hoping for that. Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese I never took seriously as it seemed too touristy. And as far as coaching inns in London I distinctly remember one in Barnes, I’m pretty sure. But I don’t know if you count that as London.
Back in 2018 myself and some friends took a Friday off, as most of these are closed on the weekend. Dressed up as city boys. And crawled some of the pubs with a claim. Here’s where we went..
The George
Anchor Bankside
Jamaica wine house
el vino The old wine shades
Ye Olde Watling
The Viaduct Tavern
Ye Old Mitre
Cittie of Yorke
The Old Bell Tavern
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
Ye Olde Cock Tavern
The Old Bank Of England
The Seven Stars
The White Hart
Lamb & Flag (didn’t get here before closing)
Very admirable effort!! Surprised you made it to all those still standing 🤣
I love a good pub
The Grapes in Narrow St
this is a good video very informative, well done, pity the audio is poor quality
The red lion pub in Westminster, next to parliament must be in contention for the title.
Cheers
Why no mention of the Town of Ramsgate in Wapping?
I worked around the corner from the Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese for a few years. It was always our go to pub on Fleet Street from that job. To me it IS the oldest pub in London. I never believed in Science anyway....
Wot abaht vee old Jampot just orf Fredneedle Street, aka the Jamaica Tavern.....as I recall a 17th century establishment?
Yes, but was totally rebuilt 19th century so nothing remains from 17th century unless I'm mistaken.
@@LookUpLondon Thought it was only the facade that was changed. Bet the old cellars are still there or at least partly there. Loved your vids btw 😀
Hmm, Historic England doesn't mention anything earlier but maybe the cellars are older historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1079156?section=official-list-entry@@sirdudleynightshade8747 Guess i'll *have* to revisit for some investigation!
Nice video
My local pub was built in 1180.
Thankyou for that wonderful virtual tour :) ps “Ye” is actually pronounced “The”.
Yes! Very good point and as I didn't explain the full reason behind the type shortening and corruption over time I just went with 'Ye', but you're quite right!
Great and very detailed video Katie. I love seeing people's reaction when I take them into the Cheshire Cheese! I remember the Tipperary across the street has a claim to be older, how does that one fit your criteria?
Thanks Rhys! I would say although Tipperary was first built 1667, it's been altered a lot more than the Cheshire Cheese, Pevsner says interiors are 1898 and Historic England says exterior is 20thC so didn't make the cut!!
@@LookUpLondon Thanks Katie!
@@LookUpLondon The "Tipp" was burnt in the Great Fire but was stone built and refurbished. It was popular with Irish soldiers in WW1 as it apparently had the best Guinness in London !!
@@LookUpLondon The Tipperary was originally called the Boars Head
@@paulsmith4467 Hi was the Tipperary originally an Irish pub back all them years ago?
I want to see the inside !
What about the Birdcage Columbia road, built 1601
What about the Prospect of Whitby in Wapping?!!
Sorry to be pedantic, but the "Y" on "Ye Olde" is not a "Y", it's a "Þ" (thorn), and it's pronounced "TH". Thus "Ye Olde" should be pronounced "The Olde", which is something that you might want to mention to tourists when you take them to "Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese". :-)
I spent some time in the Old Cheddar Cheese (Fleet Street). I Know after the great fire above ground it was rebuilt ,... but below the surface the cellar area was a drinking place for the Monks living there in the 12th. Century...comments please!
There are genuine Medieval monastic ruins nearby (The Carmelites on Whitefriars Street) but I haven’t seen any good source supporting that claim for the vaults under the Cheshire Cheese and it doesn’t work map-wise 🤷🏻♀️
The Coal Hole on the Strand?
What about the hand and shears in clothfair???
Totally rebuilt 19th century. But still a cracker!
Kings and Queens of England since 1066.
Algun dia podre vicitarlo
My vote goes with the George as best of the oldest
They used to hang pirates from gibbets outside the pub(prospect of whitby) . An exercise poorly lacking due to modern health and safety standards!
Ship Tavern?
Ye Olde Watling claims to be built in 1668
Red lion at Aldgate ?
Not there any more? Unless I'm thinking of somewhere else.
And Dirty Dicks (1745) opposite Liverpool Street station and close to Pettycoat Lane Sunday market.
Love these videos (would be great if there was a music track quietly underneath your dialogue) but I'm worried about your voice. Maybe you should take a break and rest those vocal chords, lots of Throat Coast tea w/honey? Best of luck!
It’s ok I’m not confused, not one bit lol