The Regent’s Canal – The narrow stretch of placid water running from Westbourne Grove to Limehouse was built 150 years ago to connect London’s Docklands to the rest of England. It now cuts through many of the coolest neighborhoods in the world. Primrose Hill, Camden, Angel, Dalston, Victoria Park, Bethnal Green: the canal ties together a swath of conurbation with some of the hippest pubs, restaurants, green spaces, and abandoned warehouses in London. It has been the main axis of many a romantic walk for us over the years, and there will no doubt be many more in the years to come.
Clerkenwell – This neighborhood features a few patches of some of the best preserved architecture from various epochs of London’s history, including St. John’s Gate, the Tudor-era entry to an even older church, a rare relic of an era when most construction in London was done with wood. The area has attracted revolutionaries for centuries, dating back to the the Lollards, the disciples of the influential medieval demagogue John Wycliffe. Most good rallies and protests kick off at Clerkenwell Green these days, which is especially convenient since there are also lots of great pubs nearby. It’s easy to get lost in the narrow and indecisively planned streets around here, but there are worst places to not know where you are. Also consider checking out Hatton Gardens, London’s diamond district, where Stephen bought Nora her antique engagement ring.
Victoria Park – We spent two years living just south of this wedge of green in the midst of the concrete expanse of the East End. Each of London’s many parks has its own distinct qualities; Vicky Park is characterized by a kind of jovial anarchy in the midst of beautifully maintained settings. Situated in the quarter of the city currently favored by artists and musicians and the like, this park draws a particularly Bohemian-slacker crowd who can be found firing up their barbies and sunning their tattoos any time the weather permits. The Inn on the Park, at the north end of Grove Road, has a beer garden which is conjunct with the park itself and is a good place for an early pint if you enjoy watching hipsters struggling with hangovers.
Peckham Rye – This is definitely not a main stop on the tourist trail, but if you’re up for a bit of adventure south of the river, we recommend a stop at this relatively unknown but exceptionally beautiful spot. Peckham itself is notable for its bustling market culture set in the midst of one of the grittier parts of town; the Rye is the large park just to the south which absorbs a bit of the chaos. This is the place where William Blake apparently experienced one of his first visions, a hallucination of a tree full of angels, at the age of 8—and received a box in the ear for relating his experience to his parents. The gated area south of the open common features an oddly harmonious array of differently styled gardens.
Greenwich – Where time comes from. The main draw of this southeastern neighborhood is probably the Observatory, from which the Prime Meridian itself eminates: here, you can enjoy standing in the Eastern Hemisphere while punching your friend in the Western Hemisphere. Aside from that, though, there is also a lovely village with many cozy pubs and a market which is open from Wednesday to Sunday. You can also pick up a river taxi here and ride it back to points west like the Embankment or the London Eye—just be warned, figuring out how to get tickets can be a bit confusing.
Camden – So Nora was run down by a cyclist on Chalk Farm Road, and claims she gets acne every time she goes to the Camden Market. Stephen asks, “So what?” Long famous as a haunt for types who mousse their hair and rip their clothes, and regularly occupied by an ad hoc army of discontent adolescents, Camden’s charm perhaps lies in its rejection of the discreetness of taste and fashion which characterizes much of the rest of the Metropolis. The market, which is open every day and is built into an ancient horse stable, is a great place to find a Sex Pistols t-shirt, a new safety pin to wear through your septum, or pretty much any item of clothing made out of latex. And, while the likes of Amy Winehouse and Liam Gallagher may have indulged themselves into ruination in the innumerable taverns scattered around in the vicinity of the high street, the spirit of rock-n-roll lives on in Camden’s pubs and clubs, where it’s not unusual to find free entertainment from aspiring young musicians playing in almost unbelievably cramped conditions.
Chelsea and Knightsbridge – Home to the most evil and heartless sports organization in the world and an empire of profiteering clothiers and victualers, there are those who nonetheless find this area’s labyrinthine passageways and elegant architecture irresistible. On certain stretches it seems as though almost every building is “listed,” which is to say, something important happened there.
PUBS
In A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth’s epic tale of post-partum tribulations in decolonized South Asia, an Indian character who had studied in Great Britain is interrogated regarding what most impressed him about London. His response takes the form of an incredulous query: “It must be the pubs, of course?”
We concur. More than the museums, the parks, and the palaces, the pubs of London are the repositories of the cities complex history. It was in a Clerkenwell pub that Vladi Lenin first met Joe Stalin; it was in a boozer in Deptford that Christopher Marlowe met his final end. The pub is generally the center of community life in a London neighborhood, and a regulars’ haunt is a good spot to pick up on a little local flavor. You can get a bit of nosh at most pubs as well, with some gastropubs offering fare which competes with some of the top restaurants in Europe. Most of all, though, the pub is a good place to drink.
The drink of choice in London is certainly lager, probably because it’s both more alcoholic and easier to stomach than the more traditionally British ale. Stella and Krnonenberg (or, if you want to sound like a tourist, “1664”) are reliable brand names, though many drinkers actually consider these beers classless. If you’re up for something a little warmer and less fizzy, try a cask ale—just make sure your bartender has the arm power to properly pump the liquid out of the barrel. Wine and spirits (or, if you’re still going for the out of town sound, “liquor”) are also available pretty much everywhere.
William III was a Dutchman and a self-motivated ruler who married opportunistically, but Stephen will make the case that, by regulating the size of measures of beer and spirits in England in 1698, he did a greater service for the Kingdom than any other regent before or since. And the British pint is formidable indeed: a pint in London weighs in at 570 mL, 100 mL more than a pint in America—and drinkers here don’t take kindly to hiding a bad pour with an overabundant head, either. Please take care when ordering wine, too: a “large” wine is generally exactly 250 mL, which is 1/3 of a bottle—a few of those over the course of an hour and you might forget why you’re here in the first place.
Here are a few of our favorite pubs, categorized roughly by neighborhood, all north of the River:
The Victoria – This is an exemplar of classic pub décor: busy wallpaper and elaborate sconces form the backdrop for various severe depictions of old Q. Vicky herself. It’s set in a very pleasant and well planted neighborhood featuring a few celebrity residents—a great place to go to beer up before you go around the corner to give Tony Blair a piece of your mind.
The Monkey Puzzle – Not far from Paddington Station, this pub is named for a particular species of pine tree an example of which grows in the nice courtyard out front. Thickly carpeted and fairly compartmentalized, this is a slightly more local take on what a pub can be, though the station nearby also means that lots of travelers pass through.
The Barley Mow – This is a very old pub. It’s characterized by little snugs, private micro-rooms which were common in pubs in the 19
th Century but have largely gone out of fashion, probably because they take up space. Two of the snugs in this deeply atmospheric venue actually date from that era, for which the interior of the building is actually “listed”—so you can spill your drinks on a bit of history.
The Albert – We don’t really know why we like this pub so much, but we do. Situated in fashioned but geographically implausible Primrose Hill, it’s a good place to stop off if you’re walking on the Canal, and has a nice sunny glass room in the back.
The Lock Tavern – This is a fairly well known Camden institution with a very satisfactory beer garden and, believe it or not, outstanding hamburgers. The upstairs room features a little stage where rock bands play so close to your face you can feel the strings on their metal guitars quivering, and there’s also a nice balcony outside with a good view of the chaos on the streets down below. Nora saw the girl from Dr. Who here and immediately freaked out.
The Island Queen – Another pub close to the canal, this one features sort of neo-regency décor in a comfortable interior. It’s on a nice street in a very attractive neighborhood, and close to the bustling strip of Upper Street.
The Three Kings – Just around the corner from Clerkenwell Green, this is an eccentric little place with a pretty chilled out crowd. On nice summer evenings the area in front of the churchyard across the street becomes an impromptu beer garden, and knocking back pints as the sun sets on this twisty corner of London is a great way to pass an evening.
The Spread Eagle – We are including this pub because it’s in Shoreditch, and some of you are likely to wander into Shoreditch, a neighborhood characterized by lots of similar places to drink. There are actually lots of good pubs in Shoreditch, but there are also lots of bad ones, and the bad ones necessarily make more of an effort to get your attention. The Spread Eagle has cool mouth-shaped urinals and is fairly unpretentious.
The Carpenter’s Arms – So some pub names are more popular than others, and “The Carpenter’s Arms” will probably never go out of style. The establishment to which we’re referring is just off Brick Lane in the East End; this used to be one of the main hangouts for the legendary Kray Twins, renowned for making crime sexy and sex criminal. These days they serve a great selection of slightly obscure beers to a slightly less intimidating clientele.
The Town of Ramsgate – This pub backs right on up onto the Dirty Old River, and actually looks out on the spot where Captain Kidd’s dead body was hung in 1701 as a bit of a warning to pirates, kind of like when your school put a wrecked car in the parking lot right before prom. There’s apparently been a pub at this spot for quite a few years, and it’s fun to sit inside and imagine the atmosphere back when Wapping was awash with fishermen and sailors and their shady consorts. Should you choose to wander off the beaten track and into this part of town, this pub is worth a visit.
The Sam Smith’s Spiral – One thing to realize about London pubs is that many of them are part of franchises or consortiums. What this means is that a pub will have it’s own landlord, but the landlord will buy into a scheme for getting cheaper booze and food. Such a pub will generally have its own name but will also have certain generic characteristics, such as a set menu or a certain type of draught beer.
Sam Smith’s is an especially specialist institution: Sam Smith’s pubs only sell Sam Smith’s products, from the beer to the spirits to the little bags of nuts. They are typically characterized by faux Victorian wood sconces around the bar and do not pay the fee for music license, which means you can expect to either hear yourself thinking or you can hear the other patrons thoughtlessly shouting, depending on the time of day. The beer is priced very reasonably and isn’t half bad, either. Particularly good alcohol per pound (APP, the most important metric when you’re out pubbing) value are the Alpine Lager and the Oatmeal Stout, both on draught.
At some particularly low point, Stephen conceived the dubious idea of doing a pub crawl which focused on only Sam Smith’s pubs. These pubs are mostly clustered around the West End, in the area between Hyde Park and Chancery Lane, with a particular concentration around Covent Garden, Soho, and Fitzrovia. It’s an array which defies a truly linear progression; as such, it makes much sense to try to circle around and hit as many Sam Smith’s as possible. We particularly recommend the Chandos, right by Charring Cross, the Princess Louise, a pleasantly divided place with a nice upstairs on High Holborn, the Cittie of Yorke, on a site right by the Chancery Lane Underground which has hosted a pub since the 15th Century, and the Champion, situated in charming and bustling Fitzrovia. We’ll be very impressed if you can hit 8 establishments and actually come back with a coherent description of the experience.
Undoubtedly the best way to soak in all of the most famous sites is to sign up for one of the Big Bus Tours. You can hop on and off throughout the day and can be assured you'll have all the big landmarks covered!
Here are our tips for other events a little off the beaten path:
- Take a walk from Little Venice along Regent's Canal to the crazy Camden Markets of Amy Winehouse fame.
- Speaking of markets there are a ton around London and the best place to pick up a gourmet sausage for lunch! Our favourites are Portobello Road, Borough Market, & Covent Garden.
- Make like the Victorian's and take a rowboat out for a spin in Hyde Park (don't forget the wine and baguettes!), or if you're a landlubber, rent a deck chair (or bring a sheet!) and enjoy a leisurely afternoon by the lake.
- It may sound ghoulish but we definitely recommend a visit to the famously gorgeous Highgate Cemetery which opened in 1839. Tranquil, beautiful place for a summer walk.
- In case of rain, hit up the Royal Academy of Art Summer Exhibition if you have an insatiable appetite for art, it might just be fulfilled here: rooms chock-full floor to ceiling of some of the greatest new works you'll ever get to see in one place. You might even walk home with one as all of them are on sale :)
- The Wellcome Collection has some of the absolute best free exhibitions around and I've loved every single one. This show will be running this summer and I'm sure it'll prove just as fascinating as previous ones!
- St. Alban's (a 20 minute train ride) Absolutely the most delightful 'oldeee towneee', perfect for a day trip outside of London. There's a church there founded in 960AD. Stephen tells me they also have the highest number of pubs per capita...
