We show you 18 of London’s most historic and characterful pubs, all of which have a tale to tell. They add up to over 5000 years of history! Dickens is supposed to have drank in most of them but we have a theory on those claims. Amongst other things we tell you why pubs have such big colourful signs outside, where the expression being ‘on the wagon’ comes from, where a king turned up unannounced to gamble; we also show you the pub with perhaps the most blood curdling name for a pub thanks to a murder in Tudor times, and we show you the pub Dickens used as Bill Sikes’ local (it’s quite a posh pub these days, I don’t think they’d let Bill in!) There are plenty of other interesting non-pub sights in this intriguing part of London too. And there is the option to pop into a tavern or two en-route if you wish of course; that’s entirely up to you. We certainly don’t have to get to the end of the walk! The walk is 2 and a half hours in duration, and you can spend as much or as little time as you wish in the pubs or walking and listening to our guide, again it’s entirely up to you.

Please note that this walk is best done during the week, as several of the most interesting pubs don’t open at weekends. Obviously one can’t go in them all in any case but it’s nice to see them in full swing at least.

Start at St Pauls underground station
Finish at One Tun (weekdays) or Citte of York (weekends) or Chancery Lane underground
Shorter walk alternatives – various