Discover Four Iconic Pubs in London’s History

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

• 1
  Thames River

  We begin on the banks of the River Thames, the lifeblood of London for nearly two millennia. Here we uncover how the river shaped the city — from Roman crossings and medieval marvels to executions, sayings like “one for the road”, and the darker side of Southwark life.

  10 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 2
  London Bridge

  Discover the many lives of London Bridge: once a medieval wonder lined with houses, shops, and pubs; later a stage for grisly executions with traitors’ heads displayed on spikes. We’ll trace its decline, its surprising sale to an American businessman, and how part of it now stands in Arizona.

  10 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 3
  Borough Market

  London’s larder for a thousand years. Once the rowdy domain of traders, porters, and early-opening boozers, Borough Market fell into decline in the late 20th century before reinventing itself as today’s foodie mecca. Still noisy, still chaotic — just swap fish heads for focaccia.

  10 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 4
  Crossbones Graveyard & Garden of Remembrance

  Crossbones Graveyard on Redcross Way is where the unlicensed, the unloved, and the unrecorded of Southwark were buried — especially the Winchester Geese. Once a byword for vice, now a place of remembrance, it stands as a haunting marker of the stories London tried to forget.

  20 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 5
  Kings Arms

  The King’s Arms is one of Borough’s best-kept secrets: a little timber-fronted pub that’s been serving pints since Shakespeare’s day. It’s the kind of place where you can actually feel London’s drinking history seeping out of the walls — and the beer’s not half bad either.

  30 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 6
  The Royal Oak

  The Royal Oak is one of Southwark’s great old-school boozers. Tucked away on Tabard Street, it’s a Georgian-era pub with a real Victorian feel inside — dark wood, tiled floors, and a warm welcome. Long associated with the brewery tradition of the area, it’s now famed for serving Harvey’s ales direct from the cask, keeping the Sussex brewery’s name alive in the heart of London.

  30 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 7
  Marshalsea Prison South Wall

  The Marshalsea was Southwark’s debtors’ prison — a grim place where you could end up locked away for life just for being broke. Dickens’ dad did time here, and the memory haunted him into his writing. Today, only fragments of the wall remain, but the stories still hang heavy in the air.

  10 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 8
  The Gladstone Arms

  The Glad is a proper Southwark survivor — a Victorian pub named after Prime Minister Gladstone, nearly knocked down a few times but always brought back to life. These days it’s all about good beer, good music, and that snug, old-school charm you only get in a neighbourhood boozer.

  30 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 9
  Lord Clyde Southwark

  We save the best for last: the Lord Clyde. A gem of a Victorian pub on London’s shortest street. Beautifully tiled outside, warm and welcoming inside, it’s the perfect spot to raise a final glass and toast Southwark’s drinking past.

  30 minutes • Admission ticket free

Additional info

• Wheelchair accessible
• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
• All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Show 1 more

Tags

Rating