Historical Pubs of London: A Tipply Trundle Through Liquid History

(75 reviews)

London audio tour: Historical Pubs of London: A Tipply Trundle Through Liquid History

This is a 1.3mi walking tour

It takes an average of 120 mins to complete.

London

The United Kingdom

$11.99

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About the Tour

Join me, the owner of Liquid History Tours, on a tipply trundle down London’s “street of shame” in search of the city’s finest alehouses, inns and taverns.

For this walking tour, I've handpicked, from over 3,000 London pubs, an eclectic selection of outstanding establishments to visit at least once in your life. From beautiful backstreet boozers to an arts and crafts palace, we'll enjoy a wide selection of venues with a healthy serving of the city's light-hearted history of booze.

We’ll explore quiet backstreets and hidden courtyards off of the beaten track while enjoying a smattering of humorous history and quirky stories. We’ll follow in the literary footsteps of Samuel Pepys, Charles Dickens and Dr. Johnson, along with some lesser known characters, as we amble down Fleet Street. There’s something for everyone to enjoy no matter how much you drink, so think of this tour as a great walk that just happens to have four cracking pubs to pause at for a pint along the way.

Highlights on this tour include:

Drinking in the opulent surroundings of London's finest arts and crafts pub
Soaking up salacious stories as we stumble down “the street of shame”
Visiting an iconic alehouse rebuilt in 1667
Hearing the legend of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Window-shopping at London’s oldest tailor in the heart of the legal district
Seeing a haunted backstreet boozer dating back to 1549

The tour finishes on the edge of Covent Garden where you can grab a bite to eat at the final pub or take a short stroll into theatreland and explore its many bars, restaurants and, of course, public houses.

Allow 60 to 90 minutes to complete the walk, depending on how often you stop for a pint. Cheers!

Tour Producer

John

1 tour

Pub aficionado, lover of all things London and fan of the quirkier side of history.

Author of the award winning "Liquid History: An Illustrated Guide to Great London Pubs" and "Local Legends: The Hidden Pubs of London".

Co-founder of the top-rated Liquid History Tours offering guided small group experiences to London's finest ale houses, taverns and gin palaces and local resident of Richmond.

Cheers!

Preview Location

Location 10

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Pub

Once you've found the hanging lantern for Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese let's stop here, spin round and enjoy the magnificent view.   It's a view unchanged for hundreds of years, and you might notice the modern skyscraper just to the left of St.Paul's cathedral. The new "Cheesegrate... Once you've found the hanging lantern for Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese let's stop here, spin round and enjoy the magnificent view.   It's a view unchanged for hundreds of years, and you might notice the modern skyscraper just to the left of St.Paul's cathedral. The new "Cheesegrater" tower has been forced to lean out of the way like an embarrassed relative at a family photograph, preserving the unimpeded view of the cathedral dome on this historic sight line starting from right outside the pub. It highlights the importance of the cathedral, but more importantly the gravitas of the pub that we are about to enter.

Entering this pub always offers the best of times and the worst of times for Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese stars in "A Tale of Two Cities" as the first place Charles Darnay visits to recruit his strength with a simple supper and a few fine wines after escaping trial for high treason at the Old Bailey.

So Dickens was a regular, with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Mark Twain, Theodore Roosevelt and Walt Disney also all darkening this door over the years. The original pub dates back to the mid 1500's but what we see today was rebuilt with immediate effect after the Great Fire in 1667.   

Let’s head through the tunnel to the front door, enjoy the list of monarchs who've reigned over the pub since it first opened its doors and prepare to enter this time capsule of tipples.   

Now, I’m afraid I won't be joining you inside the pub as there is a ban on technology including phones and laptops. This allows the traditional mix of beer and conversation to set the tone. Things to look out for are the "Gentlemen Only Bar" just inside on the right, where you’ll find Polly the Parrot still keeping watch behind the bar since passing away in 1926.

The pub has seven storeys of bawdy and literary history to explore, so watch your head as you descend down into the basement bar. It's like drinking under Communism at The Cheese with no brands or drink varieties other than the incumbent brewer Samuel Smith from Tadcaster. It's his way or the high way in here, so perhaps opt for the humble Old Brewery Bitter served from traditional oak casks or the coffee-rich stout for a fuller flavoured pint. Mmm. I'm beginning to lick my lips just thinking about it. All this talking has left me rather parched.

I think it’s time for you to grab a drink and start the elbow-bending activity! You can leave the app running if you're popping in for a quick peek. Or if you plan on spending some time here, you can close off the tour by pressing “End Tour” in the top right of the screen. When you're done, come back outside and start it again by choosing “Resume”. Once you’ve exited, I'll meet you further along this alley in the courtyard where we'll be heading left into Gough Square. Now push open that door and enjoy your drink in this iconic alehouse! Read More

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Major Landmarks

Fleet Street
Temple Bar London
Dr Johnson's House
Royal Courts of Justice
Lincoln's Inn
Hunterian Museum
Sir John Soane's Museum
St Bride's Church, Fleet Street
St. Paul's Cathedral

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Getting There

Route Overview

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Start location
179 Queen Victoria St, London EC4V 4DY, UK
Total distance

2km
Final location
12 Gate St, London WC2A 3HP, UK
Distance back to start location

1km

Directions to Starting Point

Start directly outside Blackfriars underground station

- Circle & District underground lines
- Thameslink overground service (Exit via North side: St.Paul's/ City/underground)
- If arriving on foot then the walk starts on the northern end of Blackfriars Bridge outside the underground station
- What3words location: crazy.ripe.good

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Suggested drink stops...

THE BLACKFRIAR...exquisite art & crafts pub
YE OLDE CHESHIRE CHEESE...iconic alehouse
THE SEVEN STARS...eclectic backstreet boozer
THE SHIP TAVERN...gin, jazz, and pub grub

(But do take your pick from the 10 or so pubs we pass along the way subject to the weather and your own levels of thirst!)

Best time of day

It makes for the perfect post-lunch stroll, and is best enjoyed during daylight hours from midday to 4pm Mon-Sat*

Walking during daylight hours allows you to enjoy the sights in full and you'll find the pubs pleasantly quiet to explore a little more...

Walking time is around 60mins, but allow 15minutes extra for every pub stop if pausing for a drink and we suggest 3/4 stops along the way.

*Some pubs may be closed on Sunday and the parks can close early in the winter
**Consider starting with a pub lunch at The Blackfriar pub or finish up with a cosy dinner at The Ship Tavern to end

Don't forget to wear some good walking shoes and have a fully charged phone.

Precautions

Use the pedestrian crossings where possible and be careful descending the flights of stairs along the way, especially after a tipple or two...remembering of course that everything should be enjoyed in moderation...including moderation

And anyone lucky enough to look under 25 years of age should take photo I.D. to ensure prompt service of alcoholic beverages, with the legal age in the U.K. being +18 years. Cheers!

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