Ep 27 Hampstead Pubs Pt 1 - The Flask, Holly Bush, Duke of Hamilton, William IV

This is the first of two episodes covering the great old pubs of Hampstead. This one takes a look at The Flask, The Holly Bush, Duke of Hamilton and the King William IV
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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 (King William IV post)

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

The Flask:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/14/100-best-books-clarissa-samuel-richardson

https://whatpub.com/pubs/NLD/6050/flask-hampstead#google_vignette

The Holly Bush:

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-rome/saturnalia

https://alondoninheritance.com/london-streets/holly-bush-hill/

https://londonpubsgroup.camra.org.uk/holly-bush-hampstead

https://www.mylilobridge.com/single-post/2019/07/19/the-holly-bush-the-historical-pub-of-hampstead

England's Mistress:  The Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton by Kate Williams, ISBN: 978-0099451839

Duke of Hamilton:

https://www.aladyinlondon.com/2011/03/duke-of-hamilton-pub-hampstead-london.html

https://www.cityam.com/london-landlord-bars-the-800-campaigners-that-got-his-pub-listed/

https://www.peculiarlondon.com/blog/the-duke-of-hamilton

https://londonwiki.co.uk/Middlesex/Hampstead/DukeHamilton.shtml

https://locipubs.com/duke/#:~:text=History,O'Toole%20and%20Oliver%20Reed.

King William IV 

https://londonspubswherehistoryreallyhappened.wordpress.com/2019/09/11/king-william-iv/

https://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/23846558.ghosts-hampstead-highgate/

Intro music:
Vivaldi - Spring Allegro by John Harrison w/ the Wichita State University Chamber Orch

Photo:  David

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 up north to Hampstead to check out a few historic pubs there. There is lots to talk about in Hampstead, pub wise, so this will be the first of two episodes. Let's start by saying a bit about the area of Hampstead. Ted Bruning gives us a couple of well written paragraphs in his Historic Pubs of London book that will help set the stage.

“In the 18th Century, London was expanding fast as new inhabitants poured in from the countryside. Unfortunately, its infrastructure was nowhere near in keeping up with the influx and, as a result, the older quarters degenerated into seething, sinking, crime-ridden slums with neither adequate means of sewage and garbage disposal, nor reliable sources of clean water. One source of relief was to walk, or, if affluent enough ride out of the city whenever possible, to take advantage of the countless tea houses, pleasure gardens, and from the middle of the 18th Century, mineral spas that were beginning to spring up all around like establishments in Islington, Bermondsey and Highgate. The Flask in Hampstead courted the trade of these healthy water pleasure seekers.” 

Thanks, Ted. Okay, with that background, onto the pubs. From the Hampstead tube stop, it's just a few minutes down the High street to Flask Walk. And what should be at the end of Flask Walk? Not surprisingly, a pub named The Flask, the one Ted mentioned. The name goes back to its days as a mineral water dispensary. Just a word of caution here. There's another pub named The Flask, across the Heath in Highgate. So, first reference to this pub should be The Flask, Hampstead to avoid confusion, and to make matters worse, back in the 18th Century, there was another establishment named The Flask, right in Hampstead, and both were mineral water emporiums! To distinguish between the two, this one was referred to as, “The Lower Flask,”because the other, “The Upper Flask,” was at the top of Hampstead Hill. Wiki tells us a bit about the one up the hill,

“The Upper Flask was a tavern near the top of Hampstead Hill, which sold flasks of water from the spa at Hampstead Wells. It was located on Heath Street. The Upper Flask was the most select of the two Flasks being in a grand Jacobean house near the summit of the hill, where it commanded good views of London and surrounding villages. In the 18th Century it was patronized by Whig grandees and literati as part of the famous Kit-Kat club, which for a time held its summer meetings there.”

Wiki further reports that the tavern business closed in 1750, and it eventually became a grand private house, but it must have still served as a spa or retreat of some kind. John Keats and Percy Shelley were said to have relaxed there, and their time was in the early 1800s. The property eventually was donated to the public service and became Queen Mary's Maternity Home around 1920.

Public service for the location continues to the present. The building on the property is Queen Mary's House, which provides help to those with eating disorders. So, that's The Upper Flask, let's get back to The Lower Flask. That name not only stuck in people's minds as describing its elevation relative to the other Flask, but also a comment on its patrons. Again, back to Wiki, 

“The clientele of The Lower Flask was considered inferior. It appears in Samuel Richardson's novel Clarissa as the place of a drunk.”

I was not familiar with the book, but I looked it up and found that Clarissa is an early British novel, published in 1748, that is held in high regard. In 2015, the BBC ranked Clarissa 14th on its list of 100 Greatest British Novels. Also, The Guardian included Clarissa among, “The 100 best novels written in English.” 

I sought out the exact reference quote of the novel. Here it is, 

“I had hardly taken leave of the Captain and sat down again with the women when Wil came and calling me out, “Sir, sir,” He said, grinning with a familiarity in his looks, as if what he had to say entitled him to take liberties, “I have got the fellow down. I have got old Grimes. Ha, ha, ha! He is at The Lower Flask, almost in the condition of David Salle. Please, your honor, here is this letter from Miss Howe.””

Now, “The condition of David Salle” is an interesting phrase, isn't it? So, what, my AI chat bot, does that mean? 

“The phrase the condition of David Salle is a euphemism for extreme drunkenness is believed to originate from Benjamin Franklin's Drinker's Dictionary in 1736. In this context, it is used to describe someone who is so intoxicated that they are behaving erratically and uncontrollably, much like a drunken pig.”

Hmm, I have to remember that one next time one of my friends over imbibes. 

A pub has been on this site since at least 1700. At some point it was known as The thatched House, and that was probably before the mineral water part of its business got established. The mineral water trade got going in the first half of the 18th Century, and the name change to The Lower Flask. A rebuild took place in 1874. Emerging from that and with The Upper Flask long gone, it then became just The Flask. The rebuild resulted in a nice but not overly ornate architecture, probably for a couple of reasons. First, the timing of the rebuild in 1874 was just before the over-the-top elegance of the 1890s style of pub reforms, and second, this was viewed at the time as a working man's pub and thus overly ornate was not appropriate. As Phil Collins might say, “No jacket required.” 

CAMRA’s What Pub website does a good description that takes us up to the present day, 

“After the rebuild of 1874, it was bought by Youngs in 1904. By that time, it was well regarded as a venerable Hampstead institution, and after its acquisition by Youngs it underwent a sympathetic refurbishment, albeit one that was somewhat controversial with the locals. The old Public Bar, with its separate entrance, dartboard and TV screen, is very much as it was. Incidentally, this is the only part of the pub open from 11 a.m... The lounge opens at noon. As you enter the lounge. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the fine tinted sepia photographs, which adorn a full height timber and glass screen separating this room from the public bar. This small, intimate area then leads into a larger back bar. Finally, you are led into a conservatory. Very much for eating.” 

This is a CAMRA London Heritage pub listed for its historic interior. As CAMRA mentioned, there are two entrances a remnant of the private bar/public bar aspect of its history, and adds to the special nature of this pub.

It's very charming and one that is usually my first stop on my Hampstead pub visits. A few years ago, my buddies and I got there at the opening and were inside, sitting and enjoying the view through the window out to the walk on a crisp January day. A couple of guys came to the door, but the Barman quickly summoned the Manager, and the two staff members went out and told these would be patrons that they couldn't come in.

Evidently, at least one of these two were known as over imbibers, and the Barman, when asked, said, “They were just a couple of drunks.” Although he did not compare their condition to that of “David Salle,” it's clear that management does not want to return to the clientele of The Lower Flask days. 

Drink up now and let's get ready for a little uphill walk. We're going to The Hollybush. Ask any pub fancier with the least bit of familiarity with Hampstead, “What are the best pubs in the area?” They will almost certainly include The Hollybush, and how do we get to The Hollybush? Of course. Walk up Holly Hill Road, turn right on Holly Mount, but if you haven't done so, by the time you reach Hollybush Road, you've gone too far.

You get the idea. I love London for its efficient recycling of street names. So, what’s with all the holly? There are a couple of speculations. One, it could be because holly was actually grown on the hill. Or it could be that the establishment came first, and the road naming followed. If this is the case, why name a pub The Hollybush? 

Going back to the Roman days, holly was part of their traditional Saturnalia festival, a midwinter fair celebrating the god of agriculture, Saturn. It was that tradition that morphed into Western civilizations. Christmas and holly as a symbol and decoration came with it. From that, the custom of hanging a green branch or bush over the door, a building selling wines and beers came about.

So, with or without holly being locally grown, the name Holly Bush is kind of a natural. In fact, my AI chat bot friend says that there are 31 pubs in the UK named The Holly Bush, but Hampstead has the only one in the Greater London area. It has been around while. The building was constructed in 1643, not as a pub but as a stable for the house out back. At some point it was converted into a residence and had a famous occupant around 1796, the Painter George Romney. George is famous for his many paintings, and some say obsession with, “The lively Lady Hamilton.” 

Lady Emma Hamilton was born into very modest means and worked her way up to prominence through relationships with famous men. The most famous being Lord Nelson. Painter Romney did about 60 portraits of Lady Hamilton when he moved to Hampstead. It is thought he was trying to get away from it all, but that evidently was not far enough. He then moved to The Lake District, where he died in 1802. The Lady Hamilton story is well told in the book, “England's Mistress, the Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton” by Kate Williams. See the notes. After George departed, the building was sold in the early 1800s and became used for Assembly Rooms for the local government and as a social center for the neighborhood.

For example, The Hampstead Literary and Scientific Society was formed there in 1833. In 1928 it became a pub. Currently it's owned and operated by Fuller’s. Ted Bruning gives us some insightful descriptions of today's pub,

“This has to be one of the strangest little pubs in London. An odd mix of country and city tavern, it suits the mood of a country in the city enclave perfectly. A fairly modest exterior gives way to a truly remarkable and completely unspoiled front bar. Pure Proletarian high back settles, bare floors, match board clad wall and smoke darkened low ceiling. The pub has lost nothing of its characteristic cheek by jowl blend of proletariat and bourgeoisie, which typifies Hampstead. It definitely belongs to Hampstead working class past, but it is wearing every scrap of the finery it owns.”

Ted wrote that about 25 years ago, and it is still true, but I have found in recent years the pub has linked more to the restaurant side of the business. While the front bar is as Ted described, the various nook and cranny rooms seem to be more and more devoted to dining exclusively. Not a bad thing, but I did enjoy sipping a cold one in the seclusion that some of these rooms offered. Don't get me wrong, The Hollybush is still worth a visit when you are in Hampstead, and if someone in your group says, “Hey, where are we playing to eat on this crawl?” The Hollybush provides a good answer. 

Okay, off now down the hill for a four-minute walk to our next pub, The Duke of Hamilton, 23 New Inn Road. This pub's roots go back to 1721, when it was named The Duke of Hamilton's Head. By 1762 it was just called The Duke of Hamilton. So, who was the pub's namesake? James Hamilton, the Fourth Duke of Hamilton, was born in 1658, in Scotland. He fared well in his early life, having some claim to being part of the Stuart clan and friends of high French places like Louis XIV.

This was all great when Charles the Second and his brother James the Second were running things. Hamilton even got the post as Ambassador to France, but when James was replaced by William the Third, things didn't go well for him. He was suspected of being involved in, “Intrigues against William,” and was imprisoned for a time but released without being charged. He was also a major investor in the Darien Scheme, an unsuccessful attempt backed largely by investors of the Kingdom of Scotland to gain wealth and influence by establishing New Caledonia, a colony in the Darien Gap on the Isthmus of Panama. In the late 1690s, the scheme collapsed, investors were hosed, and it is generally regarded as being a driving force for Scotland agreeing to the Union Act of 1707, in which Great Britain came under single rule.

The Duke held some positions in the post-union Government, but his financial loss from the Darien affair must have always been on its mind. A large estate owner died without an heir, and the Duke got into a protracted fight with Charles Mohun, the Fourth Baron Mohun. Both men claimed that they should be the rightful owner of the estate assets. There were years of litigation without resolution and finally Baron Mohun called out the Duke to a duel. The duel took place on the morning of November 15th, 1712. Both the Baron and the Duke were mortally wounded. There were charges that the man who was the second to the Baron, dealt the final blow to the Duke, while pretending to help the Baron. The second eventually escaped to the continent and was tried in absentia and convicted, but was later pardoned. No justice for the Duke, but maybe as a consolation, the fates named a pub after him. The Duke of Hamilton was 54 at the time of his death. In a sad, unrelated coincidence, about 100 years later, America's Hamilton Alexander was killed in a duel. Also like the Duke, Alexander Hamilton does have a pub named after him in New York City and a hit Broadway show to boot. 

Okay, back to Hampstead. So, there you have the background on the name. What else about this pub? Well, for years and years it just rocked along, being a good neighborhood boozer. There was even a music club set up in the basement. It was known to be frequented from time to time by famous folks like Richard Burton, Oliver Reed, Peter O'Toole. I'm sure lots of the other celebs living in posh Hampstead also stopped by. I remember being there on an early afternoon a few years ago. There was nobody famous in the pub. In fact, my buddy and I were basically the only people in the pub except for the two guys behind the bar. There was a very elegant chair set up against one wall, throne-like, but with no indication that it was not for trying out. So, I did, and was told immediately that, “Anyone choosing to sit in the chair had to cough up a pound for charity.” It was done very good naturedly, and I was pleased to dig a coin out of my pocket. It's that kind of place. Local, charming with goofy traditions. 

That was several years ago. Now this is where light background music, if I had any, would turn ominous. Then the evil side of urban development reared its ugly head around 2015. Word got out that the pub was to be sold and converted to upscale flats. That did not go over well with the locals. Around 800 local residents petitioned the government for the pub to be made an Asset Of Community Value. That is not quite a Grade II protection, but it does help the preservation effort. It got a rather unexpected response from the Landlord, particularly in regard to the 800 petition signers. The website cityam.com wrote in an article published at the time,

“A London landlord has barred 800 local campaigners from his pub after they managed to get his property listed, making it harder for him to sell.

Steve Coxshall, a former stockbroker that also managed the boyband Blue, said the campaigners, the Hampstead Neighbourhood Forum, were “hypocrites in cardigans”.

Camden Council decided to the list the three-century-old Duke of Hamilton pub in Hampstead as an Asset of Community Value. Should Coxshall wish to sell the pub, he would have to offer it initially to the campaigners, who are allowed six months to raise the cash.

But he warned that he faces difficulty if he needs to sell the pub if it goes into the red.

"They are all barred from the pub,” he said.

Coxshall added:

I bought the pub to save it. But if you've got a pub and there is an economic downturn, what is the point of an ACV if there is no business?

If you have a six-month window where you can't sell it, who is going to pay the bills?

They haven't put any money into the pub – they are just a bunch of hypocrites in cardigans.

Coxshall has now lodged a formal objection to the ruling with the council and banned the punters from his pub. He also accused them of only making small orders.

"They don't drink in here and if they do come in, they only order half of a half pints,” he told the Camden New Journal.”

One can understand the financial pressure Steve must have been under, but selling the pub for a tear down? Hmm. A bit much. When I tell a story to my wife that looks like it may be a sad one, she stops me and says, “Before you go on, does this story have a happy ending?”

Perhaps you, dear Listeners, are asking the same thing? I assure you it does. So, I will proceed. The telling of what comes next was best done by an account from a Travel Blogger and transplanted Yank, who has the site of aladyinlondon.com. Quoting from her blog post,

“A few months ago, I engaged in my first ever bit of community activism. It was to save my local pub, The Duke of Hamilton, in Hampstead. I can't pinpoint exactly what it was about The Duke, my neighborhood loves so much. It's not a trendy pub, it doesn't have any claim to fame, and it always looks like it hasn't been cleaned in over a century. But there's something so endearing about the place that even friends who don't live in the neighborhood are frequent visitors.

Upon hearing The Duke of Hamilton pub was going to be converted into yet another block of luxury flats, Hampstead residents and friends of the pub joined together in a campaign to save The Duke.”

She goes on to describe the details of their efforts. Ultimately, the Asset Of Community Value standing would not save the pub, and they couldn't get the Grade II listing status which would save it. It looked grim for a bit, but fortunately a loophole emerged. The Architect who designed the new building failed to take into account that the large tree in the front of the property couldn't be removed from the premises. That did it. The demolition project collapsed. Steve, the old Landlord retired, and new Owners were found. The pub was refurbished and reopened in 2018.

The full article is linked in the notes, along with the comments from readers at the bottom. A good read and a good story with a happy ending as I promised. The current Owner is Loci Pubs, a group that runs four pubs. The website tells us, 

“Loci Pubs is the creation of brothers Ben and Ed Robson, along with their friends Adam Gostyn and Scott Soteriou. Together, they bring life back to beloved local pubs across London, focusing on exceptional food and a vibrant community atmosphere.” 

Wow! All the right words. It seems like The Duke is now back in good hands. I don't think I've been there since the renovation, but checking online, the reviews are good, and they preserve the downstairs music club, which is devoted to jazz.

I'm planning to pop in on my next visit to Hampstead. I hope you do as well. Let's go to one more pub, The King William IV, a six-minute walk back in the direction of the tube stop. This pub was operating as The King's Head in the 1760s. Records show a couple of renames to George III in 1826, and finally to William IV in 1835.

The current namesake, Will IV, took over kingship from his older brother George IV, who was largely a disaster as a Monarch. There is not a lot to say about Will IV’s reign, other than a couple of social reforms that were passed. Will IV died childless. It was his niece, Victoria, that became his successor on the Throne. As Jimmy might say, Move over, Willy let Vicki take over.”

With her reign began the golden Victorian age, which Wiki describes as,

“A 63-year period of industrial, political, scientific and military change within the United Kingdom and marked by a great expansion of the British Empire.” 

Needless to say, Victoria has beat William in the pub namesake contest. But this is a nice pub, and it does its best to keep Will IV’s name around. This is a Grade II listed pub, thank goodness, and it's also one more pub that has a haunting legend. The website hamhigh.co.uk relates in a 2023 article that,

“A British psychic of some renown, Derek Acorah, visited the pub and upon inspection advised the Publican not to venture into the cellar. The ghost of a Mrs. Wyatt, who was murdered and bricked up by her doctor husband, is said to haunt the waterholes basement. Others have reported a girl in a white dress who gazes through the pub windows with a forlorn expression, and is reputed to be the victim of a botched visit to a local dentist.”

You'll enjoy the visit to the pub even if you leave the cellar to the spirits. Pub Blogger Ann Lafferty gives us a nice, concise paragraph on the interior,

“Despite it being the least famous of the Hampstead pubs I visited, it was probably also my favorite. It was also the fifth, which might explain a lot. The interior was cozy and welcoming and provided plenty to look at. Decorated as it was with photos of famous Hampstead residents and pithy quotes from notable wags, my favorite was Groucho Marx's, “I've Had a Perfectly Wonderful evening, but this wasn't it.””

Thanks, Ann Her Blog is linked in the notes. She always does a fine job in writing up the pubs that she visits. Like Ann, I have my favorite of the famous folks pictured on the wall. Two great blokes. First, Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton, a fearless Explorer and Travel writer, and two pictures of Ozzy Osborne, rock superstar and a genuine and humble guy.

Because of the corner, Burton's picture is looking over at Ozzy’s. They were born about 120 years apart. I wonder what Sir Richard would think of Ozzy? He was a very open-minded guy interested in cultural differences. I am sure he would be an Ozzy fan like me. So don't just take my word for it, Blogger Ann agrees as well, the pub is worth a visit. So, there you have it. We have squeezed in four nice pubs. There are still more to go, so be sure to check out The Hampstead Two Episode which is now available. Thanks so much for listening. Please like, follow, subscribe, and all that as you see fit. My email address is in the notes hosteric@historiclondonpubcast.com if you want to drop me a line. Until next time then, Cheers!