Ep 11 Ghosts, Gamblers, and a Dash for Freedom - Pints & Plots in Posh Belgravia at The Grenadier, The Plumbers Arms, The Nags Head

Previously, we covered the Star Tavern.  Now let's check out 3 other great Belgravia pubs.  From hauntings to horses, these are fun ones to visit

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Google map with pubs covered in previous episodes pinned, courtesy of Andy Meddick:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/4/edit?mid=12c-WKa3XiT1qTLydK8psZocUR7Y_Wes&usp=sharing

Or TinyURL: https://tinyurl.com/bduca5dv

The following resources are referenced or quoted frequently in these episodes:

• Ted Bruning  -- Historic Pubs of London (ISBN 978-0658005022) and London By Pub (ISBN 978-0658005022)
• Wikipedia
• https://londonspubswherehistoryreallyhappened.wordpress.com/  by Ann Laffeaty

Additionally, the  following resource(s) were used in researching this episode:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/feb/03/our-fascination-with-lord-lucan-never-fades-but-who-was-he?CMP=share_btn_url

https://thatsup.co.uk/london/bar/the-plumbers-arms

https://ineosgrenadier.com/en/us/explore/the-grenadier-story

Intro music:

Vivaldi - Spring Allegro by John Harrison with the Wichita State University Chamber

Photo:  https://hauntedisles.blogspot.com/

Website: https://historiclondonpubcast.com/

E-mail: hosteric@historiclondonpubcast.com

Transcript

Welcome to this episode of The Historic London Pubcast. I'm Eric Blair, and I'd like to take you on a journey through the rich history of London's iconic pubs. My goal is to share with you my passion for the great old pubs of London. I want to give you some facts to help you appreciate the history of these hallowed establishments mixed in with some fun stories that make it all go down as smooth as a well poured pint. 

Today we're going to be visiting Belgravia, a very posh area in south west London. Belgravia was a part of a larger development. It was started around 1820 on land owned by the Grosvenor family for centuries. The full development became known as the Grosvenor Estate, but most of the estate has been sold off in the intervening years, except for Belgravia. That area is still mostly in Grosvenor family hands. 

We're set to talk about three great pubs The Grenadier,  The Plumbers Arms, and The Nags Head. In a previous Pubcast Episode (Episode 03), I covered The Star Tavern, another Belgravia pub of note. So if today's episode inspires an area pub crawl for you, be sure to check out The Star Tavern Episode, and include that one in your crawl plan.

Let's start at The Grenadier. Unlike the other pubs in the area, who at most can trace their existence to around 1820, the start of the development period, the building, now known as The Grenadier was constructed in 1720, originally to serve as the Officers’ Mess for the Senior Infantry Regiment of the British Army, known as the first Regiment of Foot Guards. It was in a courtyard of their barracks. The Regiment plays a part in the Grenadiers story. So let's say a bit about their history. 

The Guards go back to 1656, when there were formed to be the bodyguards of King Charles the Second, a few years before he ascended to the throne of Britain, which restored the Monarchy. By 1815, the Regiment of Foot Guards were revered as seasoned soldiers, having participated in a number of campaigns, including The Seven Years War.

In 1815 they took on Napoleon's elite group, the French Imperial Guard, at the Battle of Waterloo and handed them a solid defeat. The Guards celebrated by adopting the Bearskin headdress of the defeated French squad and began calling themselves the Grenadier Guards, which was soon made official by Royal Proclamation. They went on to have distinguished service in the Crimea and Boer Wars, both world Wars and in numerous peacekeeping roles since the end of the Second World War.

Okay, back to the pub. The building changed from an Officers’ Mess to a pub in 1818, taking the name The Guardsman, but subsequently changed its name to The Grenadier in honor of its favorite patrons. It has served as a pub ever since. 

Now when I go into a pub, generally ghosts are not the type of spirits I'm interested in, but no telling of the Grenadiers story would be complete without mentioning the purported house ghost - a fellow by the name of Cedric. Before his demise, Cedric was a young army officer who engaged in a bit of gambling with his military mates. Luck did not go his way. Depending on which version of the legend you read, he either fell into debt and couldn't pay, or became desperate and began cheating at cards. A fight broke out and Cedric was beaten severely and died in the building. Some say in the cellar, others say as he pathetically crawled in from the street. There are now stories of ghostly phenomena. Pale faces at the window. Moans and groans. Objects flying off the table. All such as that. For those inclined, more details can be had by typing in, “Grenadier Pub Ghost” into search. There is now a tradition at the pub for folks to contribute paper money to help pay off Cedric's debt. It is stapled on the ceiling - bills from all over the world. Given that his military and gambling career did not work out, if he were still with us, Cedric could start a bureau de change with all those notes up there. 

The pub also has a tradition of serving one of the best Bloody Marys in London. Done so in Cedric's honor. In previous years, Bloody Marys on Sundays were promoted. The current owners appear to have played down that aspect, but reports are that they still make a top notch Bloody Mary. Supposedly the secret being the addition of a bit of the right kind of Sherry. 

The pub has had a number of famous patrons, possibly due to its rather secluded location. It is not easy to find, so use your phone maps. In the days long ago. Wallington himself was said to be an occasional patron, as was King George the Fourth. More recently, current royalty - Prince William and media royalty Brad Pitt and Madonna, who for a few months lived not far away and threw a post concert party there in November of 2000. She and Guy Ritchie were still an item at the time, so the renowned Director can also be counted as a famous patron. There is one more well known patron, and he has had a significant impact on the pub. The gentleman is Jim Ratcliffe, a man with an interesting story. He was born in a suburb of Manchester in a solid working class family, the son of a Joiner. For my non UK Listeners, a Joiner is a specialty area of carpentry. Jim was clever and got a chemical engineering degree from the University of Birmingham in 1974. He worked for several major companies until he switched over to a private equity firm. That awakened his interest in acquisitions. From there, he formed a company that would eventually become the Ineos Group and began buying, refining and petrochemical processing plants that major companies were willing to spin off.

Things went very well for Jim. By 2017, he was one of the richest men in Britain, and achieved a Knightship and owned interest in several sports teams, including the Chelsea football team. But Sir Jim was always thinking. One day he was having a beer in The Grenadier with some mates. By the way, The Grenadier was said to be his favorite pub.

They began to discuss what a shame it was that the Land Rover, a 4x4 vehicle known for its toughness, was no longer produced. Most of us would have left it there, but Sir Jim had the means to do something about that - form a division of his company called Ineos Automotive, bring in the needed design expertise, and secure the production facilities.

By 2024, the Land Rover inspired vehicle was ready for the public. Along the way, Jim told a story about how and where he thought this up and put it out to the 4x4 community for a name. The resounding response was that the name should be The Grenadier. So now the pub has an automobile named after it. But wait, there's more! In 2019, Jim took over Pro Cycling's team Sky and renamed it The Grenadiers. And here is the final wait there's more. In 2022, Ineos buys the pub. Hooray! It's great to have this important historical pub in the hands of a true aficionado, someone with deep pockets to see things through when times get tough. Way to go, Sir Jim.

Okay, with a parting salute to The Grenadier, let's walk over to what is a quintessential neighborhood pub, The Plumbers Arms on Lower Belgrave Street. The website thatsup.co.uk description is typical, 

“The Plumbers Arms is a cozy pub with a beer garden. It was built in the 19th century and has a traditional appearance. Families and dogs are welcome here and there's a variety of food and drink to enjoy. The drinks include classic cocktails and premium beers. Hearty pub food is on the menu.” 

To understand how this pub is different from the average local, we need to talk about one Richard John Bingham, the Seventh Earl of Lucan, born December 18th, 1934 and commonly known as Lord Lucan. Sourcing info from Wikipedia, we find, 

“He was an aristocrat from a long line of aristocrats. His great grandfather led the charge of the Light Brigade, a military disaster, but the subject of a good poem by Tennyson. Lord Lucan was an Eton man and did his military service with the Coldstream Guards, but subsequently he developed a taste for gambling, playing backgammon and bridge, and was an early member of the exclusive group of rich British gamblers at the Claremont Club. Lucan losses often exceeded his winnings, yet he left his job at a London based merchant bank and became a professional gambler.” 

Hmmm - maybe not the best decision, but let's carry on, 

“In 1963, Lucan married Veronica Duncan, with whom he had three children. The couple moved to a home at 46 Lower Belgrave Street, but the marriage collapsed in late 1972 and he moved out to a nearby property. A bitter custody battle ensued, which Lucan eventually lost. Apparently obsessed with regaining the custody of his children, Lucan began to spy on his wife and record their telephone conversations. This fixation, combined with mounting legal expenses and gambling losses, had a dramatic effect on Lucan’s life and personal finances. Events came to a head one night in November 1974, when Lucan’s family nanny, Sandra Rivett, was murdered and Lady Lucan, injured and screaming, ran from their home.”

The Guardian newspaper wrote in a 2015 article, 

“Lord Lucan was facing divorce from his wife Veronica. Further, he had lost custody of their three children in an acrimonious legal battle and his gambling debts were out of control. His obsession with getting his children away from his estranged wife had led him to spy on her, in a desperate attempt to discredit her. The consensus among those who think him guilty is that he murdered Sandra Rivett, the nanny and the mistaken belief in the dark and unlit basement that she was his wife. Rivett was found bludgeoned to death with a led pipe at Lady Lucan’s home at 46 Lower Belgrave Street on the evening of the 7th of November, 1974. Lady Lucan was also attacked, but managed to escape, running to the nearby Plumbers Arms pub, covered in blood and screaming, “Help me, help me! I have just escaped from a murderer. He's in my house. He's murdered the nanny. Lucan is known to have driven 42 miles to the home of friends in the Sussex village of Oakfield, leaving them in their early hours. He recounted to them, and to his mother and other friends in a phone call and notes immediately after that he happened across his wife being attacked by a stranger in the house. He said he was intending to lie low for a while, because his wife had accused him of hiring a hitman, and it didn't look good for him. Three days later, his borrowed, blood splattered Ford Corsair was found abandoned with a section of bandage lead pipe in the boot at the cross-channel port of Newhaven. There has been no further clue to his whereabouts since. 

In 1975, an inquest jury returned a verdict that Lucan had murdered Rivett. Although Lucan was never found. Fantastic theories have placed Lucan as a hippie drop out in Goa or backpacking on Mount Etna, working on a sheep station in the Australian Outback, or being fed to tigers at a friend’s zoo. The most plausible, perhaps, is that he drowned himself, probably in the channel.

Lucan was officially declared dead in 2016. Lady Lucan had a tragic subsequent life. She became addicted to anti-depressants and her children were placed in the care of her sister Christine. For 35 years she had no contact with him, and the two children, Francis and George, continue to maintain their father's innocence to this day. 

In 2017, in the same Belgravia townhouse in which the murder occurred, Lady Lucan took her own life at age 80.”

A sad story all round. But it does make an interesting conversation over a pint at The Plumbers Arms, just sitting at a table looking at the door that Lady Lucan had to have come through, literally screaming bloody murder does put one back to the late fall of 1974, even if just for a minute. There is only a slight remembrance of the episode in the pub, a framed one pager, 

“The Plumbers Arms was one of the top seven pubs around Victoria, as featured in London's Things to Do magazine Time Out, and has received generally good reviews elsewhere. Some patrons complain about the food or the crowding, so it is probably best to avoid the after work press of pub goers. A small pub like this one I think, can be quite the wife in the off hours.”

Our final pub today is The Nags Head at 53 Kensington Street. Let's begin with that street, the one that The Nags Head is on. With the development of the Grosvenor Estate in the 1820s, a small passage known as Kensington Street was built as a mews to serve the great houses of Wilton Place, a major street connecting Belgrave Square and Knightsbridge.

Grand homes were built along it and needed what might be termed today as a back alleyway. The passage was referred to as a mews, which has been defined as a row or courtyard of stables and carriage houses, with living quarters above them, built behind large city houses before motor vehicles replaced horses in the early 20th century. So they were the detached garages of their day.

Kensington Street, like many streets that began as a mews, is modest, especially considering the opulence of much of Belgravia, clearly designed for the working class, that service the grand homes. Ted Bruning describes it as a, 

“Humble street with little artisan cottages and servants pubs where nothing much has changed in its first 150 years.”

He reckons that in the hundred years up to 1960, the pub itself had only five different landlords.

The building that has now become The Nags Head most certainly began as a stable. Some speculate that its transition to pub began as a livery, the equivalent of today's car rental business. Livery owners frequently offered bar service, or perhaps it was publicans doing livery as a second stream of income. Apparently the linking of the two services was not uncommon.

The pub lost a bit of its decades of quiet existence when, in the 1950s and 1960s, a fellow named Lynn Cole and his wife took over running the place. They were characters, the type we pub fans love. Lynn and Mrs. Lynn were often inebriated and provided much entertainment to patrons who were a bit dodgy themselves. Lynn sometimes could see trouble coming, turning away well-to-do customers because they might fall victim to the artful regulars.

The patrons got up close and personal. The Nags Head was widely regarded as the smallest pub in London, but in the early 1970s the semi basement at the back was put into service as a second bar, and the pub lost its most tiny title. The pub experienced several changes in licensees. And by the end of the decade closed altogether.

But good times were just around the corner. Kevin Moran, a former stuntman and his actor son, took over in 1979 and put the place right. Today, it's generally regarded as a must visit pub if you're in the area. Inside the pub, its decoration can only be described as charmingly eccentric. Lots of photos and bric a brac to look at as you sip your pint.

Favorite items are a two penny slot machine from the 1930s and a 19th century beer engine. This latter item is also known as a hand pump, and is a uniquely British dispensing device that is specifically appropriate for a traditional cash conditioned ales. The beer engine is a piston pump that allows the cask to be kept in a cooler cellar below the bar, and the beer to be pulled or drawn up to the bar.

Kevin, the Landlord, can lovingly be described as a curmudgeon, although a very charming one, he does not take kindly to customers talking on their cell phones or even keeping them on. I fell afoul once when I put my coat on a nearby seat and was advised to hang it up properly on the hooks, which I promptly did, and that was a faux pas I have not made in subsequent visits.

Don't let any of this put you off The Nags Head. It is a lovely, well-run pub with a lot of character. One of my pub crawl buddies went as far to say that Kevin's general quirkiness is the best thing about the pub. Hats off to Mr. Moran and his years of stewardship of this fine establishment. It is well worth a visit.

With that, we have completed today's list of three great Belgravia pubs. This episode is number 11 in this pub cast, and I now realize that here at the end, I should remind you, dear Listeners, if you like what you hear, give me a like. Or a thumbs up or a subscription. Whatever you see there. Also feel free to comment.

If you see a fan mail button or send me an email at hosteric@historiclondonpubcast.com I love doing these Pubcasts, and I hope you find them interesting. See you next time!