Grab your comfy walking shoes, we’re going on a Cheapside pub crawl like no other. Host Eric Blair takes us through the City of London pubs featured in a 1973 guidebook. Kind of a Back to the Future, pub version, comparing historic London pubs with their modern-day fates.
From the once-glorious Balls Brothers wine bar—to Williamson’s Tavern, with its poltergeist named Martha, this is London pub history with a kick. We also pop into Ye Olde Watling, popular with Sir Christopher Wren, and The Golden Fleece pub, where stockbrokers once “fleeced” their clients before heading home half-cut.
As we sip and stroll through the cobblestone alleys of historic pubs in Cheapside London, we dig into the lost, the legendary, and the downright loony tales that make these spots so much more than places to grab a pint. Whether you’re a pub historian, a ghost hunter, or just planning your next London walking tour, this one’s for you.
We end at the Lord Raglan pub, a place named after a general who famously messed up the Charge of the Light Brigade but still scored a pub in his honor. Because, well, London.
This isn’t just another pub crawl podcast, or your usual history podcast. It’s a jaunt through London ghost stories, haunted London pubs, and the hidden corners of City of London history. Think of it as your unofficial, unfiltered, and slightly unhinged London pub guide with a London travel podcast spin.
So if you're into London pub tours, looking for a good London travel tip, or just want an excuse to drink “for research,” you’re in the right place. This is Pub crawl London done the Historic London way—full of snark, stories, and maybe a ghost or two.
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Google map with pubs covered in previous episodes pinned, courtesy of Andy Meddick:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1xXDGJSfJIUy2gw_6uCASi-C45FpOg_M&usp=sharing
Or TinyURL: https://tinyurl.com/4xhc8w2s
The following resource(s) were used / quoted in this episode:
Richards & Curl, City of London Pubs - A Practical and Historic Guide ISBN:0-87749-358-8
https://teaching.shu.ac.uk/ds/sle/Excerpts/Romantics/Lamb.htm
Wikipedia.com
Williamson’s Tavern & Ye Olde Watling:
https://www.heathershimmin.com/williamsons-tavern
https://knowyourlondon.wordpress.com/2017/12/15/williamsons-tavern-bow-lane/
https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/23572/
SugarLoaf
https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/54217/
https://pubwiki.co.uk/LondonPubs//StPancrasSoperLane/SugarLoaf.shtml
Website: https://historiclondonpubcast.com
E-mail: hosteric@historiclondonpubcast.com
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