LONDON’S 12 MOST PHOTOGRAPHED PUBS ~ I CAME, I DRANK, I INSTAGRAMMED
If you have visited London, let’s say in the last six hundred years or so, chances are good you have spent a little time in one of their 3,500 pubs. There is nothing so quintessentially British than raising a pint with your mates. These public houses have been the centre of British activity for centuries, not only serving up ale to the lords, lads and lasses but housing weary travellers, feeding ploughman lunches and Sunday roasts to families and hosting a variety of activities like darts and Quiz Nights.
Britain has pubs, America has bars.
Generally speaking, or should I say, generally drinking, pubs are different than your typical American bar culture. To start with, pubs are kid-friendly, often occupying pubs the same way Americans occupy coffee shops. But it’s more than that. They most usually have some fascinating history and tales to tell.
Sure, one could seriously question a country whose legal age for drinking in one’s home is five. Don’t believe me, look it up. But for me, walking into some of these pubs is like stepping into a Charles Dickens’ novel.
Saying that I decided to explore London’s most photographed pubs. Some are notorious and infamous in nature, and others, well, they are jaw-droppingly beautiful.
LONDON’S 12 MOST PHOTOGRAPHED PUBS
…and why they are now Instagram famous.
I CAME, I DRANK, I INSTAGRAMMED
The Churchill Arms (also lead photo)
Whatever the time of year, The Churchill Arms’ exterior is what people from around the world come to photograph. And I mean, it’s like United Nations gathering outside, so not surprising, it is where I learned that the word “selfie” seems to be the same in every language. From the thousands of colourful, dripping flowers in the summertime to over a hundred small, twinkling Christmas trees surrounding its facade in the winter — whatever the season, this Insta-Darling is, without debate, the most Instagrammed pub in London.
119 Kensington Church Street, Kensington
The Lamb and Flag
Tucked away in an alleyway in Covent Garden, this pub was once notorious as the site of bare-knuckle fighting, giving the Lamb and Flag its 1800’s nickname, Bucket of Blood. A regular watering hole for Charles Dickens, and the 17th-century poet John Dryden, the latter a victim of an attempted murder nearby. To commemorate the felon, the upstairs room is named after him. How British of them.
33 Rose Street, Covent Garden
The Cross Keys
This is one of the most distinctive places in Covent Garden, often noted for the colourful seasonal foliage around its facade, The Cross Keys is a Instagram darling, inside and out. Inside amongst the tufted, burgundy leather seating, there is a fantastic clutter of memorabilia, chachkas and unusual knick-knacks – there’s even a napkin said to have been signed by Elvis. Don’t confuse The Cross Key chain for this sparkling gem. There is only one that is Insta-Famous, and this is it.
31 Endell Street, Covent Garden
Ye Olde Mitre Tavern
When London says “Ye Olde”, they mean it. Tucked down a narrow alley off Fleet Street, this was one of the most challenging pubs I had to find, but well worth the effort Citymapper and I gave it. Although “only” built in 1772, there has been a pub on the site since the mid-1500s. Its tiny rooms have dozens of whisky jugs hanging from the ceiling, and there are oak barrels where one can rest your drink. Dark oiled Tudor beams adorn the room, and small coal fireplaces are burning in the colder weather. Previous clientele is rumoured to have included Queen Elizabeth I, who, as the story goes, danced around a cherry tree that is still there..
1 Ely Court, Ely Place, Holborn
The Black Friar
I adore this wedge-shaped building that once was more tucked away than it is now. Scheduled to be demolished in the 1960’s along with its surrounding buildings, poet laureate Sir John Betjeman successfully stepped in and campaigned to save his favourite local. Proof that one should never, ever underestimate the importance of drinking to a writer.
174 Queen Victoria Street, Greater London
The George
One of my absolute favourite exteriors in London, this old Tudor styled building dates back from the early 1700s. Originally a coffee house, this narrow, four-story-high building, with no known connection to King George, is a Instagram gem.
213 The Strand, Holborn
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
Close to Ye Olde Mitre, and also down an alley, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese has been around since 1538. That is almost 250 years before The United States of America was a country to put that into perspective. Rebuilt in 1667 after The Great Fire of London, this pub, out of all that made the 12 Most Photographed Pubs In London list, looks the oldest…and creepiest, but in a good way. Medieval in feel with its small, dimly lit rooms, narrow corridors, low ceilings and dark wood, this place reeks of history. After all, let us not forget, it has outlived 15 Kings and Queens, and in all likelihood will out live us too. Frequent visitors were Mark Twain and Charles Dickens, and I can just imagine all of Ebenezer Scrooge’s ghosts after a good haunting, rising a pint in this place. I absolutely love it..
145 Fleet Street, London
The Old Bank of England
So this pub, not surprising by the name, was an old bank, and let me tell you, it drips of old money. The room is grand and opulent with its ornate bar, fabulously detailed ceiling and etched glass. But as fab as the interior is (and it is fab), their patio has a permanent old double-decker bus that they have converted into a bar. Drinking an Aperol Spritz in this bus is a total contrast to its formal interior— but I love both vibes.
194 Fleet Street, London
Princess Louise
Instagrammable is an understatement, especially when referring to the interior of The Princess Louise pub, located in Central London. While you could easily walk by the pub, barely giving its ordinary exterior a second glance, inside it is one of the most dazzling pubs I have ever seen. The moment you step through its doors, the decor drips with the authenticity of the Victorian era. Gleaming mosaic marble floors, ornate gilded mirrors, etched glass, polished wood and decorated ceilings. I was told (but was refused entry) that the men’s marble urinals with their original fixtures and tiles are Instagram worthy too, although sadly, I will have to take some friendly male day-drinker’s word on that.
208 High Holborn, London
Mr Fogg’s Tavern
Here is another one of those Instagrammable pubs that draw you in, this time with a quirky name from the famous Jules Verne novel Around The World In 80 Days. Equally photogenic inside and out, the flower arch over the exterior door draws in the passer-by, where you’ll be further dazzled by the eclectic array of memorabilia scattered throughout the interior.
There is a very popular Gin Parlour upstairs that boasts more than 80 varieties of gin and is also a popular Instagram spot. In the heart of London’s theatre district, it’s not surprising it is popular with art, theatre and literary types.
58 St Martin’s Lane, Covent Garden
The Sherlock Holmes
Built in 1736, The Sherlock Holmes was originally a small hotel called The Northumberland. This pub, from the moment you step inside, feels like you have entered the liar of the famous fictional detective. Filled with memorabilia and artifacts, and a sitting room that looks like Holmes and Watson would be pondering clues and solving mysteries, this is must for Sherlock Holmes fans everywhere.
10 Northumberland St, St James’s
The Spaniard Inn
Perhaps the best and most famous watering hole in North London. On the North-West corner of Hampstead Heath, the iconic Spaniard Inn has a romantic yet colourful history, with stories involving infamous highwaymen, legendary villains, and the literary elite. It dates back to 1585, and its dark beamed wooden interior perfectly reflects its ominous history. In the summertime, you must sit in its beautiful garden, whereas legend has it, John Keats penned Old to a Nightingale.
Spaniards Road, Hampstead
So there you have it,