Lace up your walking shoes, and join us again on your favorite London pub podcast, London history podcast, and London travel podcast all in one! Host & London Pub Guide Eric Blair leads us on another London historic pubs tour. Eric’s London walking tours are not just historic pub crawls, or your average London pub crawl.
Eric is really skilled at finding London hidden gems and unique London experience not found in your typical London travel tips article. Eric’s not afraid to take us off the beaten path, finding cool London pubs, quirky London attractions, and the best historical stories.
Today we’re treated to a story-packed London pub tour starting in Southwark London and ending at the legendary Elephant and Castle pub, located, where else, but in Elephant and Castle!
We’ll see:
· The Roebuck pub London – A Grade II-listed gem with Victorian pub architecture, dome-topped charm, and a lush interior.
· The haunting tale of the Great Dover Street Woman – a Roman woman buried in style with silk pillows and cosmetics, discovered just steps from the pub trail.
· The Ship pub Southwark – Over 200 years of history, a near-death by rent hike, and a community-led comeback with help from True Pub Co.
· The Duke of York pub Southwark – Once a humble pub, then a Firkin brewpub empire, now a lesson in how cheeky slogans can fuel a nationwide beer trend. (Yes, we explain “For Firk’s sake” and the real meaning of a Firkin.)
· The Albert Arms pub Southwark – Homey, historical, and still standing strong since the 1850s, where one drinker sipped pints where his ancestor once poured them.
· Lastly, the Elephant and Castle pub – a modern pub with post-war flair sitting in the shadow of a mystery name that’s either a medieval translation failure, or a branding accident that stuck. Either way, it’s a name so baffling, historians have just... given up.
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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 resources are referenced or quoted frequently in these episodes:
- Ted Bruning -- Historic Pubs of London (ISBN 978-0658005022) and London By Pub (ISBN 978-0658005022)
- Wikipedia
- https://londonspubswherehistoryreallyhappened.wordpress.com/ by Ann Laffeaty
- Camra’s various websites including WhatPub.com
- Pubwiki: https://pubwiki.co.uk/
Additionally, the following resource(s) were used / quoted in this episode.
Roebucks Grade II Entry: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1393945?section=official-list-entry
Parched Pubs , True Pubs & Shepard Neame Websites:
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1393945?section=official-list-entry
https://www.shepherdneame.co.uk/
True Pubs Interview: https://southwarknews.co.uk/area/borough/the-ship-in-borough-is-reo
Website: https://historiclondonpubcast.com
E-mail: hosteric@historiclondonpubcast.com
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