Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, London: One Of London’s Oldest Pubs
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, one of London’s oldest pubs, was originally built in 1538, making it one of London’s oldest pubs.
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is quite possibly London's most famous pub.
The sawdust on the floor is changed twice daily.
The pub offers unpretentious fare in wooden bays provided by high-backed church pews and served by waiters.
We visited the building a few months ago and it’s like a rabbit warren in here, with rooms off rooms on all floors - it feels like stepping back in time.
It was rebuilt in 1667 after the original one was burnt down by the Great Fire of London.
Unfortunately, in 1666, the devastating fire destroyed 13,200 houses, 87 parish churches, The Royal Exchange, Guildhall and St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Back in the 1660s, people were not as aware of the dangers of fire as they are today.
Buildings were made of timber – covered in a flammable substance called pitch, roofed with thatch – and tightly packed together with little regard for planning.
Following a long, dry summer the city was suffering a drought. Water was scarce and the wooden houses had dried out, making them easier to burn... it was a recipe for disaster.
London had to be almost totally reconstructed.
Over the past 355 years, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese has been frequented by numerous prominent literary figures: Dr Samuel Johnson, Mark Twain, W.B. Yeats and Charles Dickens, who even featured it in his novel A Tale of Two Cities.
The pub is a delightful labyrinth of different rooms: front bar, Chop House restaurant, Cheshire Bar, Cellar Bar, Williams Room and Johnson Bar to name but a few.
Its location, on Fleet Street in the heart of London’s publishing district, has made it the favourite meeting place of literary types, and much has been written about it for hundreds of years.
The Chop Room is the traditional dining room where you can find a long oaken table at which Dr. Johnson, Oliver Goldsmith, Charles Dickens and others have dined over the years.
Charles Dickens boasted of the food here as “a good plain meal with good wine.”
Dr. Samuel Johnson, the author of the modem dictionary, lived a few steps away and his chair is in the pub. His house can be visited at the same time you visit the Cheese.
Oliver Goldsmith drank with him here and also lived in the next door Wine Office Court.
Their experiences at the Cheese were described by Dickens as “Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese” in A Tale of Two Cities.
Pictures and artifacts throughout the labyrinth of rooms portray the people, events and times that shaped this famous eating and drinking establishment.
Included is the iron knocker which is reputed to be the one taken from the door of Oliver Goldsmith’s house before it was demolished in 1830.
Polly, the stuffed parrot, entertained princes, ambassadors and visitors from all over the world during the forty years she lived at the Cheese.
Such was her fame that when she died in 1926, the news was broadcast by the BBC and obituary notices appeared in over 200 papers in all parts of the world.
In 1962, the pub gave the Museum of London a number of sexually explicit erotic plaster of Paris tiles recovered from an upper room.
These tiles strongly suggest that the room was used as a brothel in the mid-eighteenth century.
The erotic tiles are now on display in the London Museum.
The pub's unique interior sprawls out over at least four levels.
Be sure to head down the narrow stairs to the lower vaults, which are thought to predate the 17th century upper-storeys.
Private rooms are also available - the 17th century Function Room has an impressive ceiling open right to the roof, with huge oak beams and rafters.
It is equipped with a bar and dance floor and can be rented for wedding receptions, christenings, conferences, and children’s parties.
According to their website, all beers are brewed by Samuel Smith’s at the Old Brewery in Tadcaster, Yorkshire which was founded in 1758.
Cask Old Brewery Bitter is served from oak casks in the pub cellar - all beers are brewed solely from authentic natural ingredients.
The food, meanwhile, is unashamedly British.
They are a Chop House so serve the best cuts of meat as well as their signature dish Ye Olde Steak & Kidney Pudding.
Someone who recently visited the pub said: “Great history and a good spot to stop for a Pint or two.
”The ambience, fire place, the downstairs in the basement area, the pictures on the wall, it was all so interesting, and theres no place like it around the world that I've been to that also has the history attached to it!”
Another person said: “Creaky old. Mind your head when descending the stairs. Deeply worn floors and booths. Historic reality abounds.”
If you’d like to visit, the address is: 145 Fleet St, London EC4A 2BP.
If you are walking down Fleet Street, you turn off in to Wine Office Court, a narrow alleyway that gets its name from the wine licences that were once granted in a nearby building.
Next to the well worn front doorstep to the pub is a sign listing all the monarchs that have reigned since the pub was rebuilt in 1667.
What were pubs like in Medieval London?
Pubs in Medieval London were quite different from what we see today.
During this period, they were more commonly referred to as alehouses or taverns.
Unlike modern pubs, which often have elaborate décor and furnishings, Medieval alehouses were typically more basic in their interior design.
They might have had simple wooden tables and benches for seating, and perhaps a fireplace for warmth.
The menu in Medieval alehouses was usually limited compared to today's pubs. Ale, beer, and sometimes wine were the primary drinks available.
Food options were also basic and might have included bread, cheese, pickled or salted meats, and perhaps some simple stews or pies.
Alehouses were frequented by people from all social classes, from laborers and craftsmen to merchants and nobles.
However, there were often distinctions between alehouses patronised by different social groups, with some catering to wealthier clientele and others serving the working class.
They typically operated during daylight hours, as lighting after dark was limited and the streets could be dangerous at night.
However, there were exceptions, particularly in areas with a vibrant nightlife or where travelers and merchants congregated.
What are some of the oldest pubs in London?
The Prospect of Whitby
The Prospect of Whitby is a Grade II listed gem and one of London’s oldest pubs.
In fact, the iconic pub is also thought to be the oldest riverside pub on the River Thames.
There has been a pub on this site since the time of Henry VIII, and the first pub was probably built in 1520.
You can still walk across the original 400-year-old flagged stone floor in the building.
The pub also features a rare pewter-topped bar as well as old barrels and ships masts built into the structure.
Most areas of the pub have spectacular views over the River Thames, including the beer garden and first floor balcony and terrace.
In former times it was a meeting place for sailors, smugglers, cut-throats and footpads.
Sir Hugh Willoughby, an early Arctic voyager, sailed from here in 1553 in a disastrous attempt to discover the North-East Passage to China.
The George Inn
The George Inn, built in 1676, is London's only surviving galleried inn.
Dating back to the 17th century, The George is a pub that has stood the test of time and continues to welcome all who visit the changing face of London.
It’s the last surviving galleried inn in London and just a two-minute walk from popular Borough Market.
The galleries which front the building were once common on inns, but many other surviving examples of coaching inns were lost during the Second World War.
Today, there remain a significant number of historic features.
The Coach & Horses
The Coach and Horses pub in London is one of the capital’s most iconic pubs.
As traditional as its name, it’s one of Mayfair’s oldest surviving unreconstructed taverns from the 17th century.
With its stained glass windows, the Tudor exterior still beckons punters wanting to experience true London pubs.
Dating from the 1770s, the coaching inn was built to capitalise on the increasing numbers of people travelling via horse and carriage, providing rest to the tired horses and their weary passengers.
It is a small yet immensely popular public house: indeed, it seats a maximum of 50 people.
Those intending to meet there for some after-work refreshment are advised to leave the office as soon as possible in order to secure a seat!
There are four monthly changes of cask ales to sample, with the best of British on offer for all to enjoy - and it’s dog-friendly too!
The Blackfriar Pub
The Blackfriar Pub in London is a Grade II listed building on Queen Victoria Street.
The pub, one of the most iconic in London, was built in 1875 on the site of a former medieval Dominican friary.
You won’t be able to miss the wedge-shaped building, with its mosaics, ornamental balconies, and famous guardian black friar above the front door.
The quirky building, one of the greatest pubs in England, was remodelled around 1905 by the architect Herbert Fuller-Clark.
The Blackfriar has been skilfully designed inside to reflect its Dominican roots.
Everywhere you look there are stunning sculptures, mosaics and wooden reliefs featuring black friars beaming down on you with happy, smiling faces.
We hope you have a great time exploring these historic pubs!
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