Historic London Pubs Tour
by Paige Okun
If you have half day before or after your Thames River cruise and want a unique view of London culture, try Liquid History’s tour of historic London pubs.
Pubs are an integral part of British life, with nearly 40,000 pubs in the UK. And in London alone, there are more than 3,500 pubs.
On a recent visit to London, I knew I wanted to do a pub tour; and not just a pub crawl, where downing pints is the goal, but rather a tour with a focus on the heritage of England's pub world.
On our Liquid History tour, we visited four establishments in about four hours, barely scratching the surface but coming away with a pint of pub culture, a dash of quirky London history, and a draft of colorful stories.
Our guide, Charo Havermans, aka “Shadow,” is a bona fide pub historian, completing her Master thesis in pub history and aiming to start a PHD towards the same. I wish 22-year-old me had been that creative in choosing an advanced study area!
Pubs tour guide Charo Havermans is a bona fide pub historian. * Photo: Paige Okun
Starting at St. Paul’s tube station, we began our walk through London history including brief stops to learn about the Temple Bar Gate, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Christ Church Greyfriars and chewing gum artist Ben Wilson — look up his fascinating street art.
Christ Church Greyfriars, near St Paul's Cathedral, dates back to the 13th century. * Photo: Heidi Sarna
We discover pubs were originally operated by women because brewing ale was women’s work, yet alehouses were traditionally the domain of males. And, while gradually women were allowed on the premises to drink and socialize, until 1982, it was legal to refuse service to women in British pubs!
Half pints at each stop is a good way to pace yourself on a pub tour. * Photo: Heidi Sarna
The Stops on Our Historic London Pubs Tour
Here are the historic London pubs we visited on our tour. Keep in mind, all drinks and food are at your own expense.
The Cockpit
Luckily there are plenty of women frequenting London pubs these days, so I felt right at home everywhere we visited, including our first stop “The Cockpit.” Dating from the mid-1800s, it retains the name from its former occupation — you guessed it, a pit where cocks battled and patrons bet. The not too subtle décor includes roosters on the walls and ceiling.
The Cockpit. * Photo: PaIge Okun
Charo advised us to try a “cask ale.”
Cask ale, also known as real ale, is a “living” beer that matures in a barrel after brewing.
Unlike keg beer, it remains unfiltered and unpasteurized, containing live yeast that continues to ferment, creating a gentle, natural carbonation and deeper flavors. In a pub, you can often tell a cask ale by the ceramic handle on the tap.
I tried a half pint of the Tribute Pale Ale and enjoyed the malty, slightly citrusy flavor. It’s a strong-tasting beer; if you’re a light beer lover, this probably isn’t for you.
A glass of Tribute cask ale. * Photo: Paige Okun
The Black Friar
For the next stop on our historic London pubs tour, we moved on to The Black Friar, an art nouveau pub with quite an eclectic interior built on the site of a former Catholic Dominican friary. The friary was shuttered in the 16th century by Henry VIII because he wanted a divorce so badly; since the Vatican wouldn’t sanction divorce, he broke away from the Catholic church. Cue the English reformation.
There are layers of ornate decorations and religious references adorning the walls, ceiling, fireplaces, bar — really every inch of the place. You could spend weeks studying the décor alone, much of which was was done by the sculptors Frederick T. Callcott and Henry Poole.
The taps in the Black Friar. * Photo: Paige Okun
Here, Charo recommended the Camden lager, a locally made brew. It was light, crisp and quite delicious. I would have loved to enjoy another half pint while cataloguing the crazy Art Nouveau wall reliefs, but we needed to move on.
On the way to our next stop, we paused at St. Bride’s Church, not to pay penance for our alcohol consumption, but to learn about its spire. Named after St. Brigid who could turn bath water into beer, this was an apt stop for our tour. Charo directs us to look up at the spire. Added in the 1700s, the ornate heaven-reaching tiers make it the second tallest church in London after St. Paul’s. The story goes that a baker’s apprentice who worked nearby fell in love with his boss's daughter. To impress the boss and hopefully his intended bride, he decided to make an elaborate cake for his nuptials. Looking around for inspiration, he caught sight of the nearby steeple and was moved to create the first multi-tiered wedding cake. True or not, it’s a lovely story.
Ye Old Cheshire Cheese
After hearing about bathwater beer, we were thirsty again and headed to the next bar on our historic London pubs tour — Ye Old Cheshire Cheese, the journalists' pub on Fleet Street. Rebuilt in 1667 following the great fire, literary luminaries such as Samuel Johnson, Charles Dickens, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Mark Twain, and Voltaire frequented this cavernous watering hole.
We were ushered through the yawning space spanning multiple stories and a rabbit’s warren of nooks and crannies into a cellar room. We could easily imagine P.G. Wodehouse tucked up into a charming corner downing a pint and penning a story.
Historic London Pubs Tour includes a stop at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. * Photo: Paige Okun
All the beers on draft are from Samuel Smith’s, an independent brewery dating from 1758 based in North Yorkshire, England. It claims to be Yorkshire's oldest brewery. Charo recommended we try her favorite beer — the Extra Stout. It was rich, creamy, strong, and chocolaty. I can understand why our guide chooses this as her one drink for the tour.
Sam Smith's Extra Stout. * Photo: Paige Okun
The George on the Strand
Our final stop was The George on the Strand, one of Central London's major streets. Formerly a coffee house, this pub is said to be haunted and the home to the headless cavalier. Samuel Johnson was a frequent visitor, it seems Dr. Johnson visited quite a few pubs in London.
I’ll admit that by the time we got to The George, even after only sipping half pints, my note taking became less than diligent. But I can say I thoroughly enjoyed my malty, chocolaty tasting of Potters’ Fields Porter.
Potter's Porter. * Photo: Paige Okun
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Hope You Enjoyed Coming along on This Historic London Pubs Tour!
There was a lot more history, architecture, and culture peppered throughout the tour than I’ve shared here. After all, I don’t want to give away all the secrets.
So, if you fancy a pint — or five — with side of enthusiastically delivered quirky London history and culture, I highly recommend you join Charo and Liquid History for a memorable excursion.
The three- to four-hour tour is currently going for £29 per person (British pounds), or about $40 USD.
Paige Okun, an American writer currently based in Singapore, is passionate about travel, food and new adventures.
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HEIDI SARNA
