The Holborn district in the West End of central London has a rich history due largely to its rise as a main thoroughfare in the time of Henry V. With London’s West End Theater District just at its doorstep, The Bloomsbury Tavern has been serving traditional pub fare since 1895. Once a final watering hole before an untimely meeting with the hangman’s noose near the Marble Arch, The Bloomsbury Tavern has seen a great deal of history pass by from inside its stained glass windows.
With the Bloomsbury Tavern close to Tottenham Court Road and Holborn tube, it is both easy to find and well connected. Right in the heart of West End Theaterland, and with the British Museum nearby it’s a great place to start a day of exploring the attractions the capital city has to offer. With its hangmans history the tavern has become a London cultural attraction all on it’s own. Inside the tavern there is plenty of seating, wooden floors, and paneling that along with it’s stained glass windows give off an atmosphere of times gone by.
With all of the places to go in London and all of the things to see in one of the worlds most famous cities, the Bloomsbury Tavern is one of the last hold-outs that is actually a traditional English pub, serving traditional fare and offering English beers made by a brewery from the late 1600s. It is not an English style pub looking to capitalize on tourists, but rather a pub holding onto its tradition and moving forward much as it always has. The Bloomsbury Tavern, when it is all boiled down is a simple place for food and drink.
Bloomsbury Tavern Facts (Sort of)
- The Victorian pub was built in 1895 was the last pub in London to have a ‘wine only’ licence.
- The Bloomsbury Tavern was once a final stop before the big final stop. Located on the route taken by convicted criminals headed to the gallows, it was tradition that a condemned man could stop on the way and have a final last drink. The story goes that this is where the saying “one for the road” came from.
- There is a chance that The Bloomsbury Tavern is haunted (it’s unlikely but you never know).
