Ep 34 Mayfair Pubs Pt1 - Guinea Grill, Coach & Horses, The Footman & The Kings Head

In this episode, we start looking at some great Mayfair pubs: Guinea Grill, both Coach & Horses, The Footman and The Kings Head.  We’ll continue Mayfair in a second episode

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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:

Guinea Grill:

https://www.standard.co.uk/going-out/restaurants/guinea-grill-london-mayfair-oldest-steakhouse-expansion-b1142947.html

Maurice Gorham - Back to the Local (ISBN 978-0571386987)

Coach & Horses - Bruton Street:

https://whatpub.com/pubs/WLD/15939/coach-horses-london

Bardow pics: https://flashbak.com/brigitte-bardot-in-the-pub-by-ray-bellisario-1968-36253/

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/jun/06/ray-bellisario-obituary

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-59553852

Footman:

https://numberonelondon.net/2021/04/historic-pub-crawl-i-am-the-only-running-footman/

https://mayfairfoodie.com/the-footman/

Kings Head:

https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/ps40m-mayfair-raid-is-biggest-gems-heist-in-british-history-6736160.html

https://www.bigvenuebook.com/venue/1964/#:~:text=Located%20in%20amidst%20the%20fashion,to%20the%20easy%2Dgoing%20mood.

https://whatpub.com/pubs/WLD/16031/kings-head-london

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

Photo:  Bob Walker

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 are going to be visiting some historic pubs in Mayfair. Lots of interesting pubs in this area, so this will be the first of two episodes focused on Mayfair. Let's start with a little bit about the history of the area. Wiki helps us there. 

“Mayfair is an area in the City of Westminster and regarded as part of what is termed the West End is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane, and is one of the most expensive districts in the world. The area was originally part of the Manor of Eye.”

Now that's spelled E, I A or E Y E. Either way, I think it's pronounced Eye. 

This was a rural area in the 1000s, when Edward the Confessor and later William the Conqueror had control of the place. It was passed down from royal or noble to their like kind, subdivided, and eventually found itself under a lot of well-known London like Buckingham Palace, Belgravia, Park Lane and our focus of today, Mayfair.

Anyone who can't guess how Mayfair got its name has to buy the first round. Starting in 1686, a fair took place in the first two weeks of May in what is now Shepherd's Market. Over the years, the fair grew increasingly down-market and unpleasant, and it became a public nuisance. The Grosvenor family, who had acquired the land by then, wanted to develop it. Thus came Hanover Square, Berkeley Square, Grosvenor Square, which was surrounded by high quality houses. The fair was eventually abolished in 1764. By the end of the Century, most of Mayfair had been built with high value housing for the upper class, and unlike some nearby areas of London, it has never lost its affluent status. The decline of the British Aristocracy in the early 20th Century led to the area becoming more commercial, with many houses converted into offices for corporate headquarters and various embassies.

Mayfair retains a substantial quantity of high-end residential property, upmarket shops and restaurants, and luxury hotels along Piccadilly and Park Lane. Its prestigious status has been commemorated by being the most expensive property square on the London Monopoly board. In keeping with Monopoly's high regard for the area, let's start with what is probably the most posh pub of the day, The Guinea Grill.

Now, this is a Young’s pub and has been one since 1880. In 2023, it was reported that Young’s had signed on for another 30 years, which will take them to nearly two centuries of management of The Guinea. There has been a pub here since 1423. Today's pub, however, has its roots back to being what we can call a ‘Mews pub.’

As we learned in the Episode on Belgravia, areas with the big mansions had to have back alleys for the stables, craftsman and delivery boys who helped keep these places running, and of course they needed a place to get a beer or two. So, service alleys or mews are frequently became where a pub would pop up to service these hard-working blokes.

Maurice Gorham, in his classic pub book of the 1940s, says that the Mews pub likely to be,

“A quiet resort rather than a Gin Palace or noisy house where everybody is in a hurry and the cash register rings all the time. They attract not only a quieter type of customer, but a quieter type of landlord. The active go getter does not stay long in the Mews, nor have the brewery spent much of their money in modernizing Mews pubs.”

That last line might have been true in the postwar days when Maurice wrote that, but today's Mews pubs are treasured and have been updated over the years, but generally speaking, with care to preserve their unique character. The Guinea is one such case, but we'll get to that in a bit. Ted Bruning, in Historic Pubs of London gives us more about the pub's journey to the present, and in particular the pun that is embedded in its name, 

“Originally, the pub was known as The Pound, after the cattle and hog pound which then existed where Berkeley Square now stands. Its name changed as a joke in 1663, when the first Golden Guinea, then worth a pound, was struck. In 1717, the Guinea coin was revalued to 1 pound one shilling, and the pub took on a nickname, the 1 pound won.”

25 years ago, when Ted wrote that he implied that the nickname was in common use at the time, but I am doubtful many would know what you were talking about when you try it out today. You might give it a go and see what happens. 

Ted's account continues, 

“For many generations, the pub was an unspectacular but prosperous Mews pub, providing for the servants of the great, and given its location, the very great, and seeing nothing more than a spectacular makeover in the 19th Century. In the 1950s, someone developed a truly great restaurant in the back snug. It started to attract celebrities - Frank Sinatra, Richard Burton, Liz Taylor, Princess Margaret, King Hussein.” 

Ted concludes, 

“You don't have to be a celebrity to eat here, though. The Guinea is a very friendly and unpretentious place.”

An article in The Standard last year gives us an update on the remodel that was completed in 2024, 

“After a few months shut, The Guinea Grill has reopened following a full refurbishment and a large expansion of the dining area. The new fit out features a vastly expanded dining area and two private dining rooms. The New Guinea has retained features of the lauded original meaning regular guests will be familiar with the tartan floors, the dark oak paneling and the classic white tablecloths. The Guinea has long been famous for its silver service, which has also been retained.”

The Standard has long been a fan of dining at The Guinea. It regularly makes their list of the 50 Best Gastropubs in the UK. In 2024, only eight London pubs made it onto their list, but The Guinea was one of them. I can report from my visit there last fall that the pub area has retained its historic charm as well. A pleasant place to have a beer. There are lots of celebrity autographs. Also, on a trip to the men's room and back, I noted down the ones I saw - Mel Gibson, Henry Mancini, Oliver Reed, Bob Hope, Ted Danson and Michael Douglas. 

Okay. Up and out and on to our next pub. In fact, the next three pubs all have an equine or coaching theme. The first one is two-minutes away on Bruton Street, The Coach and Horses.CAMRA’s What Pub websitegives us a nice intro, 

“An excellent refuge from the nearby Bond Street shopping area. First licensed in 1738, it was rebuilt in 1933 and has an imposing mock-Tudor exterior, contrasting sharply with its surroundings. This is thought to be London's narrowest pub, and the inside is tiny. The atmosphere is traditional, with wooden beams and paneling. Pictures on the wall featured caricatures of 19th Century politicians and clerics. The small dining room with bar is upstairs.”

One source reports that it can only hold about 50 people, so get there early or get ready to stand outside. There is a famous picture of the French Actress Brigitte Bardot leaning up against the bar back of the pub. It's included in The Times article linked in the notes. It was taken by a well-known photographer of the time, Ray Bellisario.

Bardot, then aged 34, was in London publicizing a film and she and Bellisario were out and about, taking photos of her in a range of informal settings, including the pub, Selfridge's store on Oxford Street. and a hotel. Bellisario was famous for taking pictures of the Royal Family, some calling him the first pap, meaning the original paparazzi. The Guardian's obituary of Ray in 2018 has some interesting points, 

“He was 18, a fledgling freelance photographer with a photo agency when he happened to come across The Queen in 1955, sheltering under an umbrella on a rain-soaked street in Cornwall. Royal Age regarded his picture, a charming portrait of the young Monarch, as, “Unauthorized and intrusive.” It proved to be the opening shot in a long battle between the determined Bellisario and The Palace. He went on to obtain candid photographs of The Queen and her supposedly estranged uncle, the former Edward the Eighth, also of Princess Margaret, in a bathing suit, of Princess Anne falling off her horse, and Prince Charles water skiing in 1970 while sitting on a chair balanced on a tabletop. Several members of the Royal family did not attempt to conceal their dislike for them. None more so than Prince Philip, who was reportedly to have asked The Queen if a troublesome photographer could be sent to the Tower of London, to which The Queen supposedly replied, “No, not any longer, dear.”” 

I would guess that Brigitte Bardot’s advice to the Royals regarding Ray is, “Hey, strike a good pose, and all will be well.” 

Lots of folks want to be a part of the chosen 50 that get inside this pub, so we better drink up and move on.

Outside we are once again on Bruton Street. Bruton Street has the honor of being the street on which Queen Elizabeth the Second was born, at number 17 on the 21st of April 1926. Thank goodness that Ray Bellisario and his camera were not around then. Number 17 was then the home of the future Queen's maternal grandfather. It was demolished by property developers around the end of the 1930s, so only a plaque records this bit of history.

This is only two minutes away from The Coach and Horses, so maybe you can't say that this was The Queen's first local because she was just a newborn, but it was her grandpa's. The BBC ran an article that set right several claims about this site of The Queen's birth. First, why there? Her parents had moved in the house belonging to her Scottish grandparents, the Earl and Countess Strathmore, only a few weeks before her birth.

It's a reminder of how the Royal Family was not flush in those days, 

“Money was an issue,”

says Royal Historian Robert Lacey. Bear in mind The Queen was not born to be a queen at this point. As a daughter of The King's younger son, she was not expected to take the Throne. 

Second, the claim that The Queen's birthplace is now a Chinese restaurant. This is not true. The site has a big office block on it, and the actual location of the house was around what is now a side entrance. There is a Chinese restaurant on the block that somehow has the Number 17 street number now, but it's actually located over to the side of where the original house stood. Finally, the BBC article provides a charming bit of gossip that I need to preface with a little explanation.

Elizabeth's father only became King because his brother Edward abdicated to marry the American Divorcee Wallis Simpson. Without that action, Elizabeth would have never become queen. Upon her father's death, Edward was told it was either The Crown or Mrs. Simpson, and he chose the latter. Why force him to make a choice? It seems that there was some question about her marriage.

The BBC article concludes Mrs. Simpson had been followed by Special Branch Officers during the political maelstrom that led to the abdication, and they noted claims that she had had an affair with a car salesman named Guy Marcus Trundle. In a final twist, the address where they found this, “Charming adventurer” (that’s meaning Trundle, the salesman), was 18 Bruton Street. That address is now appropriately, part of a Bentley dealership, so the car sale tradition continues. 

Okay. Moving on. Is this Groundhog Day? Why do I ask? Because we are going to The Coach and Horses. Hey, weren't we just there? Yes, but this is another one. About five minutes of walking away on the other side of Berkeley Square. As we walk, let me tell you about Berkeley Square. The land was part of a garden of a large house, appropriately named Berkeley House, that fronted on Piccadilly. It was destroyed by fire in 1733. Like all large tracts in this area, subdivision occurred, but for what was to become Berkeley Square, as far back as the late 1600s, there were restrictive covenants on the land that had been the garden, preventing building. Incredibly, these held off development into the 20th Century. And in 1930 it was officially established as a green space by law. Famous residents who lived around Berkeley Square include Winston Churchill as a child, Charles Rolls, co-founder of Rolls Royce. A pub joke, if I can guess, the other founder of Rolls Royce, will you buy the next round? Other residents include a couple of famous Yanks William Waldorf Astor, the second richest man in the US at the time and Harry Gordon Selfridge, Founder of Selfridges department store in London. So, Harry came over to set up a major business. See, not all Americans cross the pond just to crawl pubs. Although I don't know any who don't personally. 

Okay, here we are at The Coach and Horses on Hill Street. CAMRA’s What Pub website tells us, 

“This is the oldest surviving pub in Mayfair. This distinguished establishment, dating from 1744, is also Grade II listed. The splendid bar is outstanding, with much polished wood, alcoves and mirrors. Pictures depict humorous drinking scenes from past times. An unusual wooden canopy extends over the bar counter, and brass lanterns above contribute to the impression of grandeur. The rear seating area features an attractive marble and wooden fireplace.” 

This is another Mews pub. In fact, Hayes Mews is the other street adjacent to the pub. The area has been ritzy for a long time. Hill Street appears in literary works such as Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, and Sir Walter Scott's Waverley, reflecting its status in the social fabric at the time, and so today Sheppard Neame, the current Operators of the pub proclaim on their website,

“Standing proud among the area's designer fashion houses and boutique shops are historical British pub service, fine ales to local workers and tourist with a taste for tradition.”

Yay! Go Sheppard Neame! That sentence tells me your heart is in the right place. Stories and characters of the past don't pop up when researching this pub, so I will just say its atmosphere and antiquity are its reasons of note. Check it out. I think you will find that those are reason enough to visit this pub. 

Onward! Now, with coaching still on your mind, let's walk south on Hayes Mews a couple of blocks, and we will intersect with Charles Street. On the corner we will find a pub called The Footman. Before we go in, let’s stand here a minute and talk about its history. For this one, it's Wiki that gives us the best introduction, 

“The only Running Footman, also referred to as The Footman, is a public house in Mayfair, long famous for its sign, which used to read in full, “I Am the Only Running Footman.” At 24 characters long, this was the longest pub name in London until modern pubs were created with fanciful names.”

A side note an AI search tells me that a good contender for the longest name currently is “Paradise By The Way Of Kensal Green” on Kilburn Lane in West Kilburn. 

“The Footman was formerly The Running Horse and was first built in 1749 and then rebuilt in the 1930s. The pub is variously said to be named after a retired Footman who bought the establishment and named it after himself, or via its then Owner, William Douglas, the fourth Duke of Queensberry, who employed a Footman said to be able to keep up a respectable eight miles an hour.” 

Thanks, Wiki. So, we have two possibilities for the source of the name. The website numberonelondon.net gives us a bit more about this Running Footman business, and fills out the legend to the point where I know which naming story I will choose. 

“In 17th and 18th Century London there were footmen, and then there were running footmen. Especially in the 17th Century, the streets of London were narrow, overcrowded and apt to be blocked by carts, animals, pedestrians and any number of other obstructions. It was the job of the Running Footman to run ahead of his master’s coach, clearing the way and paying any tolls at bridges and tollgates ahead of the coach’s passage. At night, the Running Footman might run ahead, carrying a lamp to light the way. In typical aristocratic fashion, the men who employed running footmen loved to pit theirs against those of other houses in foot races, upon which they would place ridiculously expensive wagers.”

From Samuel Pepys Diary of the 3rd of July 1663, 

“The town talk this day is of nothing but the great foot race between Lee, the Duke of Richmond's Footman, and Tyler, a famous runner, and Lee has beaten him, though the King and the Duke of York, and almost all men, did bet three or 4 to 1 upon Tyler's head.”

After The Great Fire in 1666, the streets of London were widened and made clear. Eventually the need for running footmen dwindled. Most households simply repurposed their running footmen to serve as carriage escorts, and to run messages and letters from household to household. Everything from invitations to illicit love letters often passed through the hands of these footmen. They did continue to congregate at The Running Horse, where they commiserated about their demanding employers, stingy tippers, and other travails of work in service.

And of course, every bit of gossip imaginable was passed around this haven for London's footmen. Imagine the intrigue and the news a man might inquire as he traveled from house to house in the erudite and aristocratic households of Mayfair. If those walls could talk now. When the pub was put up for sale in 1749, one of the last men employed as an actual running footman retired and bought the establishment. He promptly renamed it after himself and catered to his fellow former runners and to the footmen employed in the wealthy houses of London. It served as a gathering place for these young men well into the early 20th Century.” 

Thanks numberonelondon.net. You've convinced me. The pub was named for the retired footman. Sources say the name change from, “I Am The Only Running Footman” to just, “The Footman” occurred relatively recently, but I can't come up with when. I like the longer version. It's kind of the In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida version of pub names, don't you think? Hey, if you get that reference, you're like me, almost as historic as the pubs we visit. 

Okay, that's the history, let's talk about the pub today. Like many Mayfair pubs, The Footman has made its restaurant aspect prominent in its business model. The site mayfairfoodie.com was obviously there to check out the upstairs restaurant, but gives us a good quick feel for today's pub,

“We arrived early and decided to have a drink in the pub outside. The brick facade, with the black windows and shutters invites you in to see more. The pub has a lovely, cozy, homey feel, just the thing after a damp walk from the station. The wood bar is framed by an interesting curtain of mirrors that gives it an Art Deco feel. It took 20 minutes to drink our drinks, and by the time we left for the short walk upstairs, the pub was full.” 

The article goes on to cover in detail the menu and the food. A good read if that's of interest to you. See the link in the notes. They conclude with this positive summary,

“The Footman has a good thing going on with the dual pub and restaurant. Both seem popular.” 

Okay, back outside to Charles Street. The street has had several famous residents. Two in particular caught my eye. First, Brian Epstein, the Manager that helped The Beatles come to fame. He lived at Number 27 in the 1960s. It's on sale now. The asking price a mere 11 million pounds. Hey, you can't get The Footman as your local on the cheap!

The second Charles Street resident I want to mention is Beau Brummel, the dandy who lived at Number 42 for it's thought about five years at the end of the 1700s. That's about a one-minute walk away. So, this is his local, but I doubt he ever popped in. You'll see why. Wiki’s write up on Beau is a good treatment of the arc of Beau's life.

Is there a morality tale here? You decide,

“George Brian Brummel, nicknamed Beau, born 1778, became the epitome of Regency era celebrity, a man whose influence rested solely on his impeccable taste and social prowess. He wasn't a noble, nor a warrior, but a style icon, a trendsetter whose pronouncements on fashion were law. Brummel’s genius lay in his ability to refine elegance, moving away from the ornate toward a refined simplicity. His focus on perfectly tailored clothing, meticulously tied cravats, and understated sophistication established him as the arbiter of men's fashion, making him a central figure in London's elite circles.

His very presence became a spectacle, with throngs of admirers eager to catch a glimpse of his latest sartorial invitations. Brummel’s close association with the Prince Regent, later King George the Fourth, amplified his celebrity status. Their friendship gained him unparalleled access to the highest levels of society, where he held court with wit and charm. He cultivated an image of effortless refinement, and his pronouncements on what was in or out dictated the wardrobes of the fashionable elite.

His home became a hub of social activity, a place where those seeking to elevate their standing could attempt to glean insights from the Master of Style himself. 

He was an influencer of his age. His opinions carried immense weight and his every move scrutinized by the eager eyes of devoted followers. However, Rommel's extravagant lifestyle and mounting debts eventually led to his downfall. A falling out with the Prince Regent, combined with financial ruin, forced him to flee to France in 1816. Despite his decline, his legacy as a fashion icon endured. He had revolutionized men's attire, establishing the foundations for modern men's wear. Though his life ended in a pauper's asylum in Cannes, France, his name remains synonymous with elegance and style, a testament to the enduring power of personal branding and the creation of celebrity. He truly was a celebrity that was built upon his own personal style.” 

Thank you, Wiki. I must say Beau was born too early. He could have been a well-known YouTuber or TikToker of today. Although he hasn't been around much lately, there is still a current fascination about him, so much so that a statue of Beau was erected almost two centuries after his death in 2002 on Jermyn Street, about ten minutes away from his Charles Street address.

Our last pub today is The King's Head on Stafford Street, about a six-minute walk away. On the way we will cross Albemarle Street, and when we do look to the left, down the street, as we cross, you might see the very ritzy Browns Hotel. The facility is a collection of 14 Georgian townhouses that was put into a lodging service by James and Sarah Brown in 1832, is London's oldest luxury hotel, never having been renamed, rebuilt or relocated.

Famous visitors include US President Franklin Roosevelt, Mahatma Gandhi, Diana, Princess of Wales. It seems to be a favorite with the literary crowd. Famous Writers who stay there include Joseph Conrad, Tom Wolfe, William Golding, Evelyn Waugh, Arthur C Clarke, Mark Twain, and Agatha Christie. 

Rudyard Kipling first stayed at the hotel on his wedding night, the 18th of January 1892, and the newlyweds remained in residence until the 26th of January, 

“The bill for Kipling’s steak came to 22 pounds, but was paid for by the Proprietor,” 

as Mrs. K noted in her diary, 

“A slight repayment for the pleasure Rudd has given him.” 

During the rest of his life. Brown's became Kipling's hotel of choice in the capital. He described it in a 1907 letter as, 

“Our faithful, beloved, warm, affectionate Brown's Hotel.” 

The first-floor suite of rooms overlooking Albemarle Street, which the Kipling's had occupied at the start of their marriage, was always kept reserved for them when they were in town. It now forms part of The Kipling Suite. Stephen King, suffering from jetlag and with the outline of a new plot scribbled out on an American Airlines cocktail napkin, went downstairs to find a quiet place to write. The Concierge guided him to a desk on the second-floor landing. According to legend, Kipling had used this cherrywood desk during his frequent visits. King later said, 

“Stoked on a cup after a cup of tea, I filled 16 pages of a steno notebook.”

The result was the outline of Misery, King's 1987 novel about a deranged fan. If you fancy a stay, be prepared. Basic suites, not the more fancy ones, mind you, seem to be going for about $800 a night, but maybe you can negotiate a discount like Kipling did.

One final story before we arrive at The King's Head, and it involves a jewelry heist that occurred about three minutes away at Graff's Diamond Time on New Bond Street on August 6th, 2009. Arriving in a cab, two men posing as customers entered the premises and stole jewelry worth nearly 40 million pounds. It was believed to be the largest ever jewelry heist in Britain at the time, and the second largest British robbery of any kind.

The robbers used the services of a professional makeup artist to alter their skin tones and their features, using latex prosthetics, and to be fitted with professional wigs. They told her it was for a music video. When they entered Graff’s, they made no attempt to hide their faces. It was a straight stick-up job. Guns pointed, frightened clerks complying and lots of sparkling rocks going into a getaway bag. The two crooks exited the store and hopped into a pre-planned car and drove away. 

Now I know what you're saying. Okay, interesting stuff, but what has this got to do with historic pubs? That's a good question. Well, apparently these guys were better robbers than they were drivers. An article from The Standard covers the getaway,

“They were in the store for a matter of minutes, throwing a total of 43 items into a bag before briefly seizing a woman employee hostage. The men took her outside and fired a warning shot into the ground. After releasing the woman, the two men made their getaway in a blue BMW. However, their escape was nearly foiled when the car crashed into a black cab in Dover Street. As the cabbie and drinkers from the nearby King's Head pub gave chase, one of the men fired another round into the ground to ward them off.

The men then switched to a silver Mercedes, which turned left on a hill street and then entered Berkeley Square. The car then drove into Farm Street, where it was believed that some of the suspects got into a black vehicle.” 

Way to go, Kings Head patrons. You didn't catch the robbers, but the hubbub you caused did result in the robbers’ downfall.

The Standard article continues,

“A pay as you go mobile phone was discovered left in the car after ramming into the black cab. After the collision, in their haste to transfer to a second vehicle, the robbers forgot the mobile phone that was wedged between the driver's seat and the handbrake. Anonymous numbers stored on the mobile phone quickly allow the police to discover the identity of the robbers.”

Thanks, Standard. Great telling of the story. The two blokes were arrested, convicted and given sentences of just over 20 years. Three others associated with the crime were also convicted and given 16 years, but Wiki tells us the loot is still out there. As of March 2011, none of the stolen jewelry has been recovered. Experts believe the jewelry has probably been broken up, so the precious stones could be anonymously resold after being recut.

Okay, now onto the pub, but hey, first double check to make sure you have your cell phone now. Those guys sitting in the slammer wish they had done that. The pub was originally The Kings Head when licensed in 1710, and then King John's Head from 1843 until rebuilt by its Landlord, Frederick Shelley, in 1870. It carried the name Shelley's into at least the 1950s.

CAMRA gives us an all too brief description,

“On the ground floor there are two counters with duplicate ale pumps, and the upstairs and downstairs bars usually have a couple of cask ales each.”

bigvenuebook.com provides an equally brief but a bit more enticing description,

“This is a great British pub with an unbeatable atmosphere and service. You'll find fabulous quirky interiors with wooden floors, heritage paint colors, decorative paneling and period lighting all adding to the easygoing mood.”

I don't recall going to this pub, but it seems worth a visit. It's a Nicholson's pub, so you can be assured that is well-run, and who knows, with any luck, you might get the chance to catch a robber!

Well, that brings us to the end of our episode today. A Mayfair Two Episode is in the works. It should be available in a week or so.

You folks ready for my standard closing? Okay, here it goes. 

Once again, thank you for listening, be sure to like, thumbs up, subscribe, and all that as you see fit. Drop me a line in the email listed in the notes hosteric@historiclondonpubcast.com if the notion strikes you, and finally, be sure to check out Andy's map, also linked in the notes.It has all the pubs covered in these episodes. 

Okay, until next time then, Cheers!