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Historic London Pubcast

Eric Blair

55 episodes

1 week ago

Send us a text Fringe theatre upstairs. True crime downstairs. Sheep theft somewhere along the way. In this episode, we head to Islington — the London borough that clearly never got the memo about moderation. First stop: The Old Red Lion, a pub-turned-fringe-theatre-turned-launchpad for BAFTA and Olivier winners. Also: the site of 16th-century sword fights, pint glass capers, and at least one suspiciously emotional fashion criminal. Then it’s a short walk (and a long fall from grace) to The C...

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Send us a text Fringe theatre upstairs. True crime downstairs. Sheep theft somewhere along the way. In this episode, we head to Islington — the London borough that clearly never got the memo about moderation. First stop: The Old Red Lion, a pub-turned-fringe-theatre-turned-launchpad for BAFTA and Olivier winners. Also: the site of 16th-century sword fights, pint glass capers, and at least one suspiciously emotional fashion criminal. Then it’s a short walk (and a long fall from grace) to The C...

Show more...

Places & Travel

Society & Culture,

Episodes (20/55)

Historic London Pubcast

Islington Pubs - Fringe Theatre to Diamond Heist Plans

Send us a text Fringe theatre upstairs. True crime downstairs. Sheep theft somewhere along the way. In this episode, we head to Islington — the London borough that clearly never got the memo about moderation. First stop: The Old Red Lion, a pub-turned-fringe-theatre-turned-launchpad for BAFTA and Olivier winners. Also: the site of 16th-century sword fights, pint glass capers, and at least one suspiciously emotional fashion criminal. Then it’s a short walk (and a long fall from grace) to The C...

4 weeks ago

38 minutes

Historic London Pubcast

Kennington’s Madcap Pubs - Who Let the Dogs Out?

Send us a text Kennington. There’s nothing beige about pub history in this part of London. Today we kick back the saloon doors of Kennington, where pubs aren’t just buildings, they’re characters with backstories, secrets, and a scattering of taxidermy. We’ll stumble through boozers that once stared straight at Bedlam, meet a pub magician who almost flambéed a flock of pigeons, and uncover how Charlie Chaplin’s dad made pubs his stage and possibly inspired Chaplin’s signature little tram...

1 month ago

34 minutes

Historic London Pubcast

Send us a text Get the essence of Episode 49 in under 8 minutes! Chelsea Pub Crawl – Bohemians to Billionaires. Groovy! Website: https://historiclondonpubcast.com E-mail: hosteric@historiclondonpubcast.com

1 month ago

7 minutes

Historic London Pubcast

Hackney Pub Crawl Part 1 – Pickled Egg, Punk Rock Hacktivism

Send us a text We’re back in the East End of London, kicking off a multi-episode visit to multi-cultural Hackney. We kick things off with a crash course in Hackney’s rebellious roots, from Roman roads to Quakers, Huguenots, and anarchists with a flair for protest. If London has a punk Borough, this is it. Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious of The Sex Pistols met here at Hackney Technical College. Then we hit the pubs for our Hackney Pub Crawl. First stop: The Kenton - a pub with ...

1 month ago

36 minutes

Historic London Pubcast

Pubs at War - Flying Drays and Fallen Pubs

Send us a text This special Remembrance Sunday episode of The Historic London Pubcast takes us into the lesser-known wartime history of British pubs. From the cellars of London to the beaches of Normandy, discover how these beloved local landmarks became unlikely heroes during World War II. We revisit The Black Horse in Marylebone, where D-Day plans were floated over pints, and tell the Spitfire beer story that led to the legendary Flying Drays - aircraft ferrying beer to troops during the No...

2 months ago

38 minutes

Historic London Pubcast

Chelsea Pub Crawl – Bohemians to Billionaires. Groovy!

Send us a text An unforgettable journey through Chelsea – from Bohemians to Billionaires! Discover how this exclusive London neighborhood transformed from a riverside "Village of Palaces" into the ultimate bohemian quarter, then morphed into one of the world's poshest postcodes. We're pub crawling through four historic Chelsea establishments representative of Chelsea’s eclectic historical journey. The Pig's Ear with its Cockney rhyming slang heritage. The Cross Keys. C...

2 months ago

36 minutes

Historic London Pubcast

Historic Pub Walk Battersea Power Station to Wandsworth

Send us a text Join us on a pub walk London won’t let you forget. In this episode of The Historic London Pubcast, we take a leisurely but legendary London pub crawl from the iconic Battersea Power Station through the historic backstreets of Wandsworth, exploring the city's Victorian pubs, quirky local legends, and centuries of London beer history. Our pub tour kicks off at the Grade II-listed Battersea Power Station — a marvel of London industrial heritage now home to high-end shops (and a be...

3 months ago

36 minutes

Historic London Pubcast

Barnes River Pubs – Duels, Ghosts, Marc Bolan, Jimi Hendrix

Send us a text A Thames riverside pub crawl through leafy Barnes, southwest London. Packed with ghost stories, glam rock, and good old royal drama. The Brown Dog – once known as The Rose of Denmark, this place comes with a royal backstory, a fashionable Queen Consort, and a new lease on life thanks to a shoemaker and a Formula 1 driver. The Bulls Head – jazz joint, glam rock shrine, and the pub that somehow manages to be classy and play televised sports at the same time. Oh, and don't m...

3 months ago

36 minutes

Historic London Pubcast

Mortlake Riverside Pubs - The Ship, Gardeners & White Hart

Send us a text A riverside ramble through Mortlake. First up is The Jolly Gardeners with its ties to London’s market gardening boom and rowing pioneer Amy Gentry, OBE. Then we head to The Ship, a riverside classic at the finish line of the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race, where Victorian crowds once placed rowdy wagers on sculling duels. Along the Thames Path, Eric traces the rise and fall of Mortlake Brewery—from medieval monks to Budweiser and the fierce debates over its 21st-century redevelopme...

4 months ago

25 minutes

Historic London Pubcast

Smithfield’s Secret Haunted Pubs, Body Snatchers & Last Call

Send us a text Body snatchers, cadavers, and one last drink before execution. I’m getting chills — and they’re sure to be multiplying — as host Eric Blair takes us down the dark alleys of Smithfield. From The Rising Sun’s ghostly guests and tales of fresh corpses for sale, to The Hand and Shears’ grim fairground trials, The Old Red Cow’s spectral landlord, and the origin of the phrase “on the wagon,” Eric guides us through another fascinating, spine-tingling take on London pub history. ...

4 months ago

33 minutes

Historic London Pubcast

Clerkenwell & Smithfield’s Rebel Pubs – Anarchy & Assassins

Send us a text Revolutionaries, royals, radicals, and a legendary pub clock. The path from Clerkenwell through Farringdon to Smithfield traces a route rich with medieval history, market tradition, and religious heritage. The area has evolved from a separate village outside London's walls into a bustling modern district while retaining key historic landmarks. In this electrifying episode, Eric Blair walks us through these very streets. Expect fistfuls of history, a dash of drama, and a proper ...

5 months ago

30 minutes

Historic London Pubcast

Cheers From Limehouse Pubs - Cities Built & Empires Launched

Send us a text A lively stroll through the riverside and inland canal areas of Limehouse. A neighborhood steeped in maritime and industrial history. Where riverside pubs whisper tales of pirates and pioneers. From the maritime roots of Limehouse to the haunting yet enduring remnants of its pub culture, we uncover hidden gems and forgotten facts involving pirates-turned-colonists, The Grapes’ narrow, riverside Dickensian tavern, the gastro-journey of the old Barley Mow, The Star of the East—re...

5 months ago

31 minutes

Historic London Pubcast

Back to the Pub Crawl Future - City of London, 50 Years On

Send us a text Eric dusts off Timothy Richards and James Stevens Curl’s 1972 City of London Pubs book, and follows it through today’s City of London’s Cheapside neighborhood. An episode stuffed with closed pubs, surviving gems, and even a cranky ghost named Martha. From Balls Brothers (RIP) to Ye Olde Watling (still standing, still creaky), and The Golden Fleece (where brokers fleeced their clients), this episode goes back to the pub future. ================================ Google map w...

6 months ago

37 minutes

Historic London Pubcast

Southwark to Elephant & Castle Pubs, A Firkin Good Time

Send us a text Detective Eric Blair weaves through five historic watering holes from Southwark to the Elephant & Castle. A beautiful Roebuck with mansard roofing and Grade II street cred. A Roman woman buried like a queen. A pub that became the birthplace of the Firkin empire, complete with saucy seaside postcard slogans. A local boozer once renamed in the ‘70s by a jogger-turned-beer mogul. Finally, the Elephant & Castle itself - a name so baffling, historians have just... given up.&...

6 months ago

32 minutes

Historic London Pubcast

Four Point Borough Tube Pub Crawl, Press Gangs & Pub Signs

Send us a text Eric picked a unique approach to a historic London pub crawl on today’s episode. It’s all about pubs that are convenient to Borough tube station. Is it a Southwark pub crawl? Borough Pub Crawl? Or Borough Market Pub Crawl? It depends on who you ask! We will walk the four points of the compass around Borough tube station in Southwark’s Borough Market neighborhood. Borough pubs and Borough Market pubs aren’t just for sipping pints with your mates, they’ve been historic crime scen...

7 months ago

35 minutes

Historic London Pubcast

Peckham Pubs Pt 2 – Time Out Top Ten, Tom Kerridge TV Fame

Send us a text Back in Peckham for round two. From the steadfast Olde Apple Tree—the last survivor of Sumner Road’s once-bustling pub scene—to the Red Bull with its Shakespearean mural. Also visited are The White Horse — a pub with roots stretching back to the 18th century, a chess club hangout, and a Sunday roast that locals swear by. The Angel Oak — once a coaching inn and literary landmark, now a modern gastropub with a legendary garden. The Golden Anchor — a trailblazing pub with d...

7 months ago

33 minutes

Historic London Pubcast

Peckham Pubs Pt 1 – Ivy House Community Ownership, Fireworks

Send us a text South of the river to the Nunhead and Peckham Rye areas of Peckham for the colorful past and present of three iconic pubs. The Ivy House - Victorian cricket fanatics and music legends (hello, Ian Dury) to a thrilling last-minute rescue by the community from developers. The Old Nun’s Head – 400 years of pints and proper behavior (mostly), with whispers of Dickensian visits and rebellious schoolgirl shenanigans. The Pyrotechnics Arms – born out of fireworks and bang-on tradition,...

8 months ago

39 minutes

Historic London Pubcast

Soho's Wildest Pub Stories, Part 3 - Mozart, Marx & Engels

Send us a text Third Time’s a Charm at Soho’s Pubs! On today’s historic London pub walk, we: Hear the tale of Mozart’s Brewer Street concert, where the child prodigy played to a half-empty room.Discover how Marx and Engels drafted the Communist Manifesto at the iconic Red Lion pub.Explore Soho ghost stories, including sightings of Oscar Wilde at The Leicester Arms.From the wild world of Victorian rat baiting and Jack Black the rat catcher, to postwar jazz clubs that changed the beat of Britai...

8 months ago

36 minutes

Historic London Pubcast

Mayfair Pubs Pt 3, Scandal, Spies & the Acid Bath Killer

Send us a text In this punchy finale to our Mayfair trilogy, Eric focuses on five historic watering holes just west of Regent Street. From The Clarence where Chopin may have raised a glass, to The Goat Tavern, once a hub for naval officers and site of a meeting that led to grisly true crime, this episode is sure to shock is for those into Victorian architecture, true crime, or just love a little drama with your pint, the eastern edge of London’s poshest postcode is sure to please. =====...

8 months ago

39 minutes

Historic London Pubcast

Mayfair Pubs Pt 2, Style & Celebrities at Shepherd Market

Send us a text In Part 2 of our Mayfair pub visit, enjoy this London pub tour along the scandal-soaked streets of Shepherd Market London, a hidden gem, and one of London’s best hidden attractions, tucked away in the heart of Mayfair. Known for its mix of elegance and edge, this corner of the West End has long been home to some of the most famous London pubs—and the juiciest stories behind them. Host Eric Blair leads our lively London walking tour through five iconic historic pubs in May...

9 months ago

38 minutes