The Spaniards Inn pub ★★☆
Taps at the bar
A 16th century pub on Hampstead Heath that inspired Keats, Dickens, and Stoker
The Spaniards Inn (est. 1585) is my favorite pub on Hampstead Heath—and not just for its real ales and bangers and mash, or its wonderfully cozy country-mouse-in-the-city vibe.
In the pub's little garden where sprouts a tree upon which once perched a nightingale to which regular patron John Keats once wrote his famous "Ode to a Nightingale."
Poet Lord Byron and painter Joshua Reynolds were also fond of a dram here, as was the notorious highwayman Dick Turpin, whose father owned the Spaniards in the early 1700s. (Supposedly Turpin's Room, with its pub games and warm fire, was the future robber's childhood bedroom.)
Charles Dickens wrote about the Spaniards Inn in The Pickwick Papers, and they say Bram Stoker borrowed one of the pub's ghost stories and folded it into Dracula.
Pub & ale tours links
- Ales and Pubs: Sipping the history of British beer - Pubs and beer are a symbol of British society and tradition as much as tea and cakes and fish and chips . But beyond the well-known , and often stereotypical beliefs, do you know what lies behind the tradition of beer and public houses? This three-hour tour will give you a new perspective and appreciation of beer as you enjoy ample tastings at various pubs and breweries located in the East End London area. Led by a trained food anthropologist with expertise in the beer and brewing industry, we’ll focus on the history of brewing in London, highlighting beer’s evolution from a dietary staple, to the almost lost tradition of cask ales, to today’s renaissance of craft beer and brewing...Partner
- Traditional British Ale and Food Tasting Evening in London - Sample some of the fine food and beer for which Britain is famous on this 2-hour British ale and food tasting evening in London. Taste six ales with your host, hear about the brewing process and learn how to pull a pint. Enjoy dishes such as steak and ale pie, fish and chips and wild boar burgers, and see how the beers and food complement one another...Partner
- Private Tour of London's Historic Pubs - Arrange your private pub tour and let the charismatic pub tour leader take care of the rest! The tour normally starts around 3pm. Your guide is an expert on the London pub scene, beer and alcohol history as well as local architecture and British customs (having written books on all five subjects). The guide is a former Beer Sommeliers of the Year and makes regular appearances on British television and radio to discuss the subject...Partner
- Historical Pub Walking Tour of London - Discover ancient ale houses and literary drinking dens on a 3-hour afternoon pub tour of London! Centered on the area in and around the City of London, the tour visits at least four of London’s finest historical pubs, your guide will recommend different ales in each (not included). Hear the history of the pubs, learn the differences between Elizabethan coaching inns and Victorian gin palaces, and visit the watering holes frequented by legendary British novelist Charles Dickens...Partner
- Pub Tour of London's West End: Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden and Soho - Check out London’s best ale houses on a 4-hour historical pub tour of the West End! Led by a friendly local guide, your tour includes visits to five traditional pubs with beer samples in each. Visit locals’ favorites at Trafalgar Square, Soho and Seven Dials – the epicenter of London’s theater scene -- and discover atmospheric pubs down blink-and-you'll-miss-it alleyways near Covent Garden. Hear the history and culture of beer in England, get tips on London's pub scene and enjoy drinking like a local...Partner
- Greenwich Pub Tour in London - The tour starts at 6pm at the Sir Walter Raleigh statue in Greenwich. At each of the four lovely pubs on the tour, stop to flavor the ambiance and to enjoy a complimentary half pint of beer/ale as well. One of the pubs on the tour is the famous Trafalgar Tavern, on the River Thames. It is not the only riverside pub on the tour, but it has a fantastic location with outside patio. On tap are some wonderful ales from Cornwall and elsewhere in the U.K. The remainder of the evening is spent at the other three charming pubs on the tour...Partner
- Haunted London Pub Walking Tour - Discover murder most foul, the address of Sweeney Todd, public executions gone wrong, poltergeists, witch hunts, grave robbers and Harry Potter. Hear of England's worst serial killer and end the evening in the spine chilling cells of a Victorian prison. There is also plenty of opportunity on route to calm your nerves and pluck up a little Dutch courage...Partner
- Historic London Pub Tour - Discover London’s oldest drinking establishments as you explore the winding streets and back alleys of the historic city centre. Visit where Dylan Thomas drunkenly misplaced his manuscripts, learn how Victorians fed their gin cravings and stand in the secret alleyways where one of England’s most notorious poets faced a duel. Learn about London’s seedy drink-obsessed past, whilst taking in the splendor of modern day London and sensing the ghosts of yesteryear at some of the city’s top landmarks. This tour promises drama, intrigue and a good glug of history, before you relax in one of Charles Dickens’ regular watering holes with the world’s favorite drink (half pint included)...Partner
Related
★☆☆
Free
A vast park in North London, with lovely views, wooded rambles, swimming ponds, cozy pubs, and Old Master art in a genteel manor house
☆☆☆
John Keats' most famous poem, written while in resident at the Keats House, perhaps while sitting at the Spaniards Inn
Also in Reid's List: London Dining:
- Wagamama★★★| ££
- Rules Restaurant★★★| £££
- Chor Bizarre★★★| £££
- The George Inn pub★★☆| ££
- Belgo Centraal★★☆| £
- The Anchor Bankside pub★★☆| £
- Fox & Anchor Pub★★☆| ££
- The Ivy★★☆| £££
- Gay Hussar★★☆| £££
- Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese★★☆| ££
