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IntervalWorld.com INTERVAL WORLD ■ Issue 1 2017 25 24 INTERVAL WORLD ■ Issue 1, 2017 IntervalWorld.com
IN GOOD TASTE
INLONDON, THE LOCAL PUBS AREN’T
MERELY PLACES TO GET A DRINK; THEY’RE
COMMUNITY CORNERSTONES — AND
MUST-SEE ATTRACTIONS FOR VISITORS.
S ay bar in the U.S., and you could be describing any number of
drinking establishments. We’ve got sports bars and live-music
venues, fancy late-night lounges and taprooms. If you’re near
a perpetually sunny coast, you’ll likely find entire drinkeries dedicated
to alcohol-infused slushies. Even speakeasies, complete with artisan
cocktails, are making a comeback.
Folks in England, however, imbibe a bit differently. Sure, you can
find themed establishments, but the vast majority of tippling takes place
in neighborhood pubs. By pubs, I mean old-fashioned public houses
that have been around since before America tapped its first keg.
Seriously, some of London’s alehouses date back to the 16th and
17th centuries. In other words, they’re bona fide historical landmarks,
which, to me, sounds like the perfect excuse to spend most evenings
of your vacation knocking back a few pints with the locals.
YE OLDE ESTABLISHMENTS
It’s impossible to know for sure when the very first pub opened in London
(definitive facts start to get hazy anytime you have to qualify a date with
“A.D.”). The consensus, though, is that once the Romans arrived, so did
places where one could get a glass of wine. It didn’t take long for native
residents to introduce their preferred beverage — ale — to the propri-
etors of those shops, or even start their own pop-up roadhouses. So,
it’s safe to say that by about A.D. 50, it wasn’t too hard to find a good
brew around town.
That certainly remains the case today, and a good place to start —
especially if you want to mix your suds with a shot of history — is the Ye
Olde Cheshire Cheese. But first, be sure you’re at the Ye Olde Cheshire
Cheese and not the Cheshire Cheese (a cool spot in its own right).
Don’t worry, while they’re only about a 15-minute drive apart, there’s
really no mistaking one for the other.
The Ye Olde version was rebuilt in 1667 after the Great Fire (previous
to that, it was the Horn Tavern and dated back to 1538). The exterior
resembles a foreboding mahogany fortress, and, indeed, allows no
natural light to seep inside. Folklore asserts that Charles Dickens sat on
these very stools with a pen and pad — and pint — within reach. If you
meander around the puzzling floor plan, with its various small rooms on
multiple levels, it’s simple to imagine how he could have easily blocked
out the real world here in order to create one of his own.
Over on the River Thames, The Mayflower has gone by a handful
of names throughout the centuries, but what’s important is that beer
has been served here since 1550. What’s utterly astounding is that it
took its current and most-lasting call sign from the very famous sailing
vessel that is rumored to have moored here before it set out on its very
famous voyage.
Pub Hub
BY J.B. BISSELL
Kathy deWitt/Alamy Stock Photo; Hoberman Collection/Alamy Stock Photo; Steve Vidler/eStock Photo
LOCALS GATHER AT CROWN TAVERN’S OUTDOOR
SEATING AREA IN THE HISTORIC CLERKENWELL
GREEN NEIGHBORHOOD.
Locals gather at
The Crown Tavern’s
outdoor seating
area in the historic
Clerkenwell Green
neighborhood.
A true London
landmark, Ye Olde
Cheshire Cheese
displays the list of
15 monarchs who
have reigned since
the “new” pub was
rebuilt in 1667.
Ale, bitter, mild,
lager, stout —most
pubs offer a range
of draught options.
Consult the bar staff
if you’re not sure
what to order.