Ep 29 Highgate Pub Crawl - The Flask, The Gatehouse, The Wrestlers, The Red Lion & Sun

Let’s take a look at some great historic pubs in Highgate:  The Flask, The Gatehouse and The Wrestlers
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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 

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

Marx Pub Crawl

https://libcom.org/article/marx-piss-london-pub-crawl-karl-marx-late-1850s-wilhelm-liebknecht

Highgate Pubs

https://www.hamhigh.co.uk/lifestyle/21382780.drink-fill-rich-fascinating-history-highgates-pubs/

https://hornseyhistorical.org.uk/brief-history-highgate/

Flask

https://www.peculiarlondon.com/blog/the-flask-highgate

https://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol17/pt1/pp111-113

https://whatpub.com/pubs/NLD/5635/flask-london#google_vignette

Gatehouse

https://hidden-highgate.org/ye-olde-gatehouse/

https://londonist.com/london/pubs/the-gatehouse

https://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol17/pt1/pp103-104

Wrestlers

https://camra.org.uk/pubs/wrestlers-london-124852

Red Lion and Sun

https://www.theredlionandsun.com/home

https://barandkitchenmagazine.com/magazine/expertise/we-grill-heath-ball/

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

Photo:  Ewan Munro

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.

In the previous two episodes, we checked out the historic pubs around Hampstead. Today, let's go to the other side of The Heath, to Highgate. There are good pubs there too. Coming up from central London, my usual way of getting to Highgate is from the Archway tube stop. It is about a 20-minute walk to our first pub, and we pass right by Highgate Cemetery.

Lots of famous folks are buried here. Let me mention a few. Charles Dickens’ first wife, his brother and his parents. Michael Faraday, the famous Chemist and Physicist. Marianne Evans, 19th Century Author who wrote under the pen name George Eliot. Her most famous work is the well-regarded novel Silas Marner. Marianne was sort of a feminist of her time living with but not marrying her longtime companion, Philosopher George Henry Lewes. He's buried beside her. Other Highgate residents. Douglas Adams, the Author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Actor Bob Hoskins. I love him in the film The Long Good Friday, but most people know him from the film about Roger Rabbit. Peter and Anthony Shaffer, twin brothers who were both accomplished Playwrights. They wrote as individuals, and between them they produced Equus, Amadeus and Sleuth, and for us pub fans, Bruce Reynolds, the crime mastermind of the Great Train Robbery of 1963, which was planned in the upstairs room of The Star Tavern in Belgravia. See the Pubcast Episode on The Star. But arguably Highgate Cemetery's most famous resident is another well-known pub lover, and this guy also dabbled in political and economic theory. That would be Karl Marx.

Marx's grave is in the eastern section of the cemetery. If you want to check it out, entrance to that side only is about 7 pounds. If you want to join one of the scheduled tours, it is 10 pounds including entry, but you can easily find Marx's resting spot without the tour. It's just a four-minute walk from the entrance. Marx has a very prominent headstone, including a bust of him at the top, funded by The Communist Party of Britain. This elaborate feature was constructed in the mid-1950s, and Marx's remains were moved here from a point in the cemetery where he was originally interred. 

Marx is an interesting character, and I have considered doing an episode just on his pub life. He was an avid pub patron, and even today there are Karl Marx pub crawls occasionally organized in London, mainly by college students. You know how it is. They are always looking for an excuse for a bit of boozing. As for Marxie, I don't think a separate episode is needed because I have covered two of the main topics relating to him in pubs.

In previous episodes, Fitzrovia Two talks about Marxie and The Museum Tavern and Hampstead Two talks about Marx and Jack Straw's Castle. So, as we pass his grave either from afar by walking by the cemetery on the street, or by paying up and seeing it close up, let me relate the third and final Karl Marx pub story that I have to offer.

One evening in the late 1850s, Marx got together with a couple of his German buddies, Edgar Bauer and Wilhelm Liebknecht. All three of these guys were exiled from their home country and other European countries because of their socialist political activities. Being German, they all loved beer, and it was proposed that they attempt a crawl in which they take a drink at every pub between Oxford Street and Highgate.

Liebknecht gave an account of this project in his books Karl Marx Biographical Memoirs, published in 1896. His first comments were on the nature of the challenge, 

“A very difficult task even by confining yourself to a minimum sized drink. Considering the enormous number of saloons in that part of the city,”

and then he describes the beginning of the efforts.

“But we went to work undaunted, and managed to reach the end of Tottenham Court Road without accident. There, loud singing, issued from a public house. We entered and learned that a club of Oddfellows were celebrating a festival.”

Now, as a side note, Oddfellows is a fraternal organization like the Masons or the Elks. Back to Liebknecht’s account. 

“We met some of the men belonging to the group and they at once invited us foreigners with true English hospitality to go with them to one of the rooms. We followed them in the best of spirits, and the conversation naturally turned to politics. We had been easily recognized as Germany fugitives, and the Englishmen, good old-fashioned people who wanted to amuse us a little, considered it was our duty to revile thoroughly the German Princes and Prussian nobles. For a while everything went smoothly. We had to drink to many healths, and to bring out and listen to many a toast. Then the unexpected suddenly happened. Edgar Bauer, hurt by some chance remark, turned the tables and ridiculed the English snobs. Marx launched an enthusiastic eulogy on German science and music, “No other country,” he said, “Would have been capable of producing such masters of music as Beethoven, Mozart, Handel and Hayden” and the Englishman who had no music were in reality far below the Germans, who had been prevented only by miserable political and economic conditions from accomplishing any great practical work, but who would yet outclass all other nations.

I had never heard him speak in English, so fluently. The brows of our hosts began to cloud, and when Edgar Bauer brought up still heavier guns and began to allude to what the English can't do, then a low dam foreigners issued from the company and soon to follow by a lot of repetitions. Threatening words were spoken. Brains began to heat, fist were brandished in the air, and we sensible enough to choose the better part of valor, and managed to affect not wholly without difficulty, a passable, dignified retreat.”

Let me add just a little editorial comment here. If Germany was so great, what were all three of these guys doing in Britain? Oh yeah, Germany had kicked them out. They were not welcome there, nor in many other European countries, but Britain gave them exile and in doing so gets criticized in drunken rants from this trio. And this one, I'm kind of on the side of the Oddfellows, but maybe they pushed their German guests too far. We can only speculate. 

Liebknecht wraps up the nice adventure with the following two paragraphs, 

“Now, we'd had enough of our beer trip for the time being, and in order to cool our heated blood, we started on a double-quick march until Edgar Bauer stumbled over some paving stones. Hurrah! An idea, he said. And in memory of mad student pranks, he picked up a stone and clash, clatter! A gas lantern went flying into splinters. Nonsense is contagious. Marx and I did not stay behind. And we broke 4 or 5 streetlamps. It was perhaps 2:00 in the morning and the streets were deserted, but the noise nevertheless attracted the attention of a policeman who with quick resolution gave the signal to his colleagues on the same beat. The position became critical. Happily, we took in the situation at a glance, and we knew the locality. 

We raced ahead, 3 or 4 policemen some distance behind us. Marx showed an activity that I should not have attributed to him, and after the wild chase had lasted some minutes, we succeeded in turning onto a side street, and there running through an alley, a backyard between two streets, whence we came behind the policeman who had lost the trail. Now we were safe. They did not have our description, and we arrived at our homes without further adventures.” 

Okay, that's my final Marx pub story. Armed with that cautionary tale of what can happen with too much of a good thing, we walk on to the pubs of Highgate. 

Highgate. Can I summarize its history in one paragraph? Let's try. The first records using the name Highgate go back to the early 1300s, when it was part of The Bishop of London's Estate. The Bishops began allowing leasing of some of the acreage, leading to a settlement being established in the late 14th Century. By the 18th Century, Highgate was a small country town. In the 19th Century it became further developed as the northern perimeter of the growing metropolis. In the 20th Century nearly all the farms were built over, and today it is a very posh and expensive place to live. 

Phew! That was a lot of time to cover! Okay, what about the history of Highgate from a pub aspect? Well, let's start with a story as told by a 2013 article from the website hamhigh.co.uk, 

“In 1836, not long after her Coronation, a young Queen Victoria was riding down Highgate, West Hill, in a carriage when horses suddenly bolted. The out-of-control coach was seen racing down the steep hill by the Landlord of The Fox and Crown, a pub that opened way back in 1704. The Good Samaritan Landlord rushed out and managed to stop the carriage. “Had he not been there, Victoria may have been killed and there would have been no Victorian era,” pointed out Michael Hammerson, a Highgate history enthusiast. His reward was to be allowed to display the Royal Coat of Arms, which is now on display at the Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution. The pub itself was demolished in 1895.” 

Highgate’s geographic location is perfect for serving travelers going to and from London. Of course, that included providing libation. A Brewery was known to have stood on the site of what became The Angel Inn on Highgate High Street by the end of the 15th Century, and the first pub in the village is thought to have been The Swan, as recorded in 1480. 

Okay, let's pop into our first pub of the day. The Flask at 74 to 76 Highgate, West Hill. Remember, there's also a Flask in Hampstead, so don't get confused. They got their name from the same activity, selling mineral water from the springs in the area in the 1700s. 

Wiki tells us, 

“According to the 1936 Survey of London, a pub known as The Flask has stood on this spot since at least as early as 1663. The present building probably dates from the early 18th Century, and was partially rebuilt about 1767. Like all good pubs, The Flask has its own legends which may or may not be true. It is said that the Highwayman Dick Turpin hid from the law in the stables there, and the Artist William Hogarth drank at the bar, and even that Karl Marx was a customer. For good measure, the pub is also said by some to have a female ghost.”

Okay, that's Wiki’s take. The pub today has a unique multilevel interior. It was originally two buildings that are now combined. Thus, the double-barreled street address 74 to 76. It is thought to have been a Coaching Inn in the 17th Century, and still retains much of its old-world charm, with its hidden corners, wood paneled ceilings and real log fires.

The pub has a link to a grisly aspect of history. One of the side rooms is known as The Autopsy Room, where illegal post-mortems were carried out with corpses from nearby Highgate Cemetery. Body snatching was a big problem for a while. There was a shortage of corpses available for medical research or training. Men were commonly employed by Anatomists in the 18th and 19th Century to exhume bodies of the recently dead. They referred to themselves not by the crude term we might use – “Body Snatchers,” but a more stately professional moniker, “Resurrectionists.”  The problem was eventually brought under control by the 1830s through a combination of legislative and legal measures. The police began to target body snatching as a crime, and Parliament increased the supply of legal cadavers to allow proper corpses to be taken for medical use.

On to a less creepy use of the pub. The Flask was also a meeting place for what was known as the Manor Courts. So, what's that? They were local courts that dealt with legal and administrative matters within a specific manor or large estate of land owned by a Lord. According to british-history.ac.uk, the Manor Courts for Highgate were often held at The Flask, meeting about once a year. There was little business transacted beyond the election of officers and, “Occasional mention of nuisances and encroachments.” The Jury was composed of 12 men, and the main incentive to serve was the good dinner given by the Lord to his tenants. But there was trouble. The rare time the Court meeting was not held at The Flask. On the 22nd of April 1740, the Court was held at Kentish Town, likely the Assembly House there. When the Jury imposed a fine of 5 pounds on Nicholas Jeffries, Esquire. The reason, 

“The Leasee under the Lord of the Manor for not allowing this Jury sufficient wine, according to the ancient and laudable custom.” 

So, be advised. If you are in charge of arranging for the Manor Court meetings in Highgate, choose a venue other than The Flask at your peril.

As I mentioned previously, William Hogarth, the prominent British Artist of the 18th Century, was supposedly a frequent patron of The Flask. The book Old and New London, a multi-volume historical account of London written in the late 19th Century, tells us of a time early in his life when Hogarth visited a pub just off The Heath, supposedly The Flask, 

“During his apprenticeship, he made an excursion to his favorite spot with three of his companions. The weather being sultry, they went into a public house on the green, where they had not been long before a quarrel arose between two persons in the same room, when one of the disputants, having struck his opponent with a quart pot that he had in his hand, and cut him very much, causing him to make a most hideous grin. The humorist (that would be Hogarth) could not refrain from taking out his pencil and sketching one of the most ludicrous scenes imaginable, and what rendered it more valuable was that it exhibited the exact likeness of all present.”

See, I told you Hogarth was a good artist. 

Okay, let's drink up and take a three-minute walk to the next pub, The Gatehouse. This pub stands on the site of the oldest recorded structure in Highgate Village. It was one of five taverns recorded in Highgate in 1552. A toll road was constructed in the early 14th Century, and an arched gateway was erected at which all passing had to pay. The area became known as The Gatehouse, and naturally the tavern took that as its name. Some adjacent land acquisition in the latter 1600s, resulting in a building expansion that crossed the dividing line between the parish of Maudsley and Saint Pancras parish. The split between the two parishes caused problems for some functions performed at The Gatehouse when used as a court. A group had to be stretched across the floor to divide into two parishes, and thus ensuring that the prisoner did not escape into the other parish.

In 1994, the whole building was deemed to be located in the London Borough of Camden. So put your rope away. The problem's been solved. Tolls were eliminated in 1876 and the gates removed in 1892. A source published in 1936 described the building as newly remodeled. But I think this is a relative term. Pictures taken as early as 1905 show basically what we see today. A drawing done in 1835 shows a different style building. So, I think the major refurbishment likely took place in the second half of the 19th Century, and the bones of our current building go back to that rebuild. Today's pub inside has a pleasant, but not unique decor that is likely to please all of us historic pub fans. The Londonist has a few more words to say about the current establishment,

“The Gatehouse sits proudly atop Highgate Hill, looking down upon central London from one of the best viewpoints in the city. Climbing Highgate’s steep summit is worth it for this pub. Just power through the altitude sickness. The design is mock-Tudor on the outside, cozy on the inside and then spacious and summery in the beer garden. This pub used to be a Wetherspoons up until 2016, when it reopened under new and significantly different management. Yes, prices have gone up, but no one can compete with ‘spoons on that front. With these extra costs comes a wider selection of drinks and delicious Spanish influenced food. The Gatehouse has retained its best feature from its previous incarnation, the theater upstairs. We're a big fan of their Christmas musicals, but the program is excellent throughout the year.”

Thanks, Londonist!

And speaking of the upstairs theater, hiddenhighgate.org tells us that this upstairs seems to be the focus of, “Paranormal Activity.” Yes, dear Listeners, another haunted pub. Their website tells us, 

“Many live in Publicans and members of staff over the years have reported feeling unwelcome and even experienced the resident specter or specters directly, on one occasion resulting in hospitalized for shock and or another falling or perhaps being pushed violently down the stairs. Visitors to the pub have also encountered an entity in rooms which encircle the main theater room, whilst looking for a public telephone. One night in October 1966, Mr. Tony Abbott was extremely shaken to see, as if from nowhere, a tall, black-clad figure wearing a Guy Fawkes hat, moving along the passageway ahead of him and entering a small room which sits directly beneath one of the three apexes of the roof. Upon entering the room, Mr. Abbott discovered that the figure had vanished, and he was about to return to the bar when the electric lights suddenly went out and the temperature in the room turned icy cold. Immobilized with fear, he was suddenly overcome by a rush sound and the sensation that someone or something was attempting to strangle him. It was not until many years later that Mr. Abbott felt able to tell anyone about his terrifying experience, heartened by the discovery that he was far from alone in encountering the seemingly malevolent entity.”

Okay, there you have it. Perhaps not all the spirits in the pub are in bottles behind the bar. Not that I'm scared or anything, but let's drink up and move on to the next pub. 

The next pub is about a six-minute walk down the main road and through the village. The pub is The Wrestler's, supposedly named so because this spot was known as a place to settle disputes. CAMRA tells us, 

“One of the long-established pubs found in this area. First built in 1547. Last rebuilt in 1921. The L-shaped bar has lots of wood paneling throughout. Another of the pubs where the ancient ceremony of Swearing of the Horns, which dates back to 1623, takes place twice yearly in March and August. Details of the ceremony are shown above the impressive fireplace.”

Good summary CAMRA. Like the interior of The Gatehouse. Nice and woody. A pleasant place to have a drink. But let's go back to the last sentence from the CAMRA description, the mention of the ancient ceremony, the Swearing of the Horns. It was not just at this pub, but all the old Highgate drinkeries embraced it. 

Wiki gives us the scoop on this tradition, 

“Swearing on the Horns is a farcical oath that was traditionally given to visitors at various pubs in Highgate during the 17th, 18th, and 19th Century. The oath consists of a series of statements read by a clerk, confirming one's dedication to merriment and debauchery. Those being sworn in would agree to each statement, kiss or salute a set of horns and be entered into a logbook for posterity. The proceedings were typically overseen by the Landlord, referred to as, “The master, The Father, or The Host,” often dressed in formal costume, such as that of a Barrister. In some houses, an initiation fee of money or drinks was required. In addition to the oath and others, the fee could be paid to bypass the ceremony altogether. Participants were then awarded the title, “Freemen of Highgate.” 

The ceremony was the source of amusement for regular customers, who would do their best to convince newcomers to take part in the swearing in. The details of the swearing took various forms across the years and from pub to pub, but maintained the common theme of haunts and many of the individual statements. It seems clear that most participants understood it to be a tourist trap, but were happy to take part in it just the same.” 

Okay. Remember, Highgate’s location meant that much of its commerce came from travelers, and local goofy customs go over well with that crowd. As to the oath itself. 

Wiki says,

“While some versions are quite long—one source depicts a ceremony with six stanzas—the best-known points are: 

"You must not eat brown bread while you can get white, except you like the brown the best. You must not drink small beer while you can get strong, except you like the small the best. You must not kiss the maid while you can kiss the mistress, except you like the maid the best, but sooner than lose a good chance you may kiss them both."

The exception clauses make clear that the oath is not an oath at all; one may do as one pleases. Other parts of the oath include pledges to be kind to one's wife, to remember that the man is the head of his household, and to bring new initiates on one's next visit.” 

The tradition goes back a ways. The earliest known references to the Highgate haunts dates to the 17th Century. Lord Byron referred to it in Child Harold's Pilgrimage, which was published in 1812, 

“Ask, ye Boeotian shades! the reason why?
 'Tis to the worship of the solemn Horn,
 Grasped in the holy hand of Mystery,
 In whose dread name both men and maids are sworn,

And consecrate the oath with draught and dance till morn."

“By 1826 there were at least 19 different pubs in Highgate performing the ceremony. Some pubs would display a set of horns over their doors to indicate that travellers could be sworn in and made Freemen there.

By the mid-19th century, however, the tradition began to lose its popularity and had almost completely died out by 1875.”

Today it is performed occasionally. CAMRA says that The Wrestler's does it twice a year, but is mostly in the rearview mirror. Check the prices on the menu. The Highgate pubs have found other ways to get a bit of extra coin from the tourists.

So that brings us to the end of our visit to the historic pubs of Highgate. There are some other good pubs in Highgate, but they don't have the history or uniqueness of the ones we covered today. After all this is The Historic London Pubcast, but I think I should say something about one of those newer pubs. That one is The Red Lion & Sun. This is a well-regarded gastropub built in 1921. It's just down from The Gatehouse. We passed it on our walk to The Wrestler's. The Red Lion & Sun has been listed in the Top 50 UK Gastropubs every year since 2016. Currently they are at Number Six on that list. They also won the Best Country Pub in 2018, in the Great British Pub Awards.

The driving force behind this pub is the Publican Keith Bill, a Kiwi now permanently transplanted to London. After winning the award in 2018, Bar and Kitchen Magazine interviewed him. Keith reflected on what he started with in 2016. 

“It was a dirty old man's boozer, which had huge potential to become the kind of pub where I would want to eat and drink, and after a long journey, it finally is. When I first took over the license, I rubbed a few of the then regulars up the wrong way because I was brash and believed in what I was doing. It may not have gone down well with them to rip out the old sticky carpet, redecorate, and ditch the fruit machines, but it worked. I wanted to keep the character and appeal of a Victorian local pub, but make it simple, clean and accessible for all.”

Keith was posed the question, “What has made it a success?”

“Being hospitable. Something I fear the industry is losing and going the extra mile to please. We strive to produce good quality food that's accessible to everybody. We don't want to alienate people or think we are too clever. Delivered with a personal, excellent customer service. I'm extremely fussy and hands-on, so I oversee everything from food, leaving the kitchen to pints being pulled. I am also very lucky to have a team of long-serving, loyal staff who work hard to make the pub what it is.”

My hat goes off to Keith. It's folks like him that help maintain the great British pub tradition. Modernization is just a fact of life, but it can be done in a way that recognizes traditions but still produces an economically viable establishment.

You may want to check out The Red Lion & Sun when you are crawling the historic pubs we mentioned, it gets some really good reviews. 

Okay, that brings us to the close. Sorry this one ran on a bit. I thought it would be better to keep going rather than to chop it up into two episodes. Frequent listeners know what comes next. 

Please like, thumbs up, and subscribe as you want, and drop me a line or comment at the email on the notes hosteric@historiclondonpubcast.com if the notion strikes you. 

Thanks so much for listening. Until next time. Cheers!