These beautiful photos of London pubs all date from around 1938. These are London pubs as our grandparents and great-grandparents enjoyed them.
Many still look remarkably similar today, over 70 years since these images were captured. How many of them can you identify and locate? The answers can all be found on my new Facebook page. Just follow the link.
Recently I have publishing many other vintage photos of London on Facebook. Along with several more vintage shots of London pubs, there are also albums of London children, dogs, transport, Soho, street scenes, and markets. Most of the images date from the 1930s and I am adding to these incredible albums daily.
You don’t have to be on Facebook to see all the images, or even need to “like” the page for that matter. But of course any “likes” and “shares” would be very much appreciated!
The author of this blog is a qualified and insured City of Westminster Tour Guide who runs unique walking tours and private tours in London, please see tabs for details.
>Street artist “Former Empire” administers dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories throughout Notting Hill and beyond. There are large scale works, such as this on Pembridge Road.
And there are more modest works, such as this in the basement Gents of the Earl of Lonsdale on Portobello Road.
The artist’s blog has other examples and some interesting links here.
At the entrance to the Newman Arms in Rathbone Street is this.
Not an official English Heritage one then, but a very affectionate memorial all the same. I particularly like unofficial Blue Plaques. The strict rules of the official English Heritage scheme would not permit so many interesting memorials. The plaque is tiny, you might just spot it here, to the left of the door.
I did drink in there a few times before Mr Jenkin’s passing, though I never approached the status of “regular” and so never experienced a barring, I wish I had now, he sounds like a great London character.
The Champion, that fine Sam Smith’s pub on Wells Street, is well known for it’s excellent stained glass but I couldn’t find a full set of photos anywhere on the net. So to remedy that, here are images and the accompanying text for all the major panels, please click on them to enlarge.
David Livingstone
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DAVID LIVINGSTONE
Originally sent to Africa as a missionary, he explored and mapped vast areas of the continent.
1813-1873 |
Captain Matthew Webb
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CAPT. MATTHEW WEBB
Was the first to swim the English Channel (30 miles in 21 hours) he died swimming across Niagara Falls.
1848-1883 |
Edward Whymper
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EDWARD WHYMPER
Became a traveller and mountaineer first man to climb the Matterhorn and Chimborazo in the Andes
1840-1911 |
Queen Victoria’s Reign
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VRI
[Victoria Regina Imperatrix]
1837-1901 |
Earl of Mayo
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EARL OF MAYO
Richard Bourke an ideal Viceroy and one of the best loved of the rulers of British India
1823-1872 |
W.G. Grace
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W.G. GRACE
A legendary figure whose all round ability and enthusiasm dominated cricket for over thirty years
1848-1915 |
Florence Nightingale
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FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE
Gained professional status for nurses and raised hospital standards, especially in the Crimea
1820-1910 |
Bob Fitzsimmons
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BOB FITZSIMMONS
“Ruby Robert” is the only Englishman to win three world titles at different weights
1862-1917 |
Young Tom Morris
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YOUNG TOM MORRIS
Won four consecutive Open Championships, the first at the age of 17
1851-1875 |
Captain Bertie Dwyer
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CAPT BERTIE DWYER
“Flying” Bertie Dwyer was one of the early Cresta riders, a President of the St Moritz Tobogganing Club and winner of several trophies
1872-1967 |
Fred Archer
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FRED ARCHER
Possibly the greatest jockey ever, being Champion jockey for thirteen consecutive years, with twenty-one Classic victories
1857-1886 |
William M. Renshaw
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WILLIAM M. RENSHAW
Winner of seven singles and seven doubles cups, he with his brother, made Lawn Tennis into a sport
1861-1904 |
This little pub, near the eastern end of Oxford Street is a multi-coloured gem. It’s the next best thing to having a pint of Alpine in a cathedral.
The Grade II listed pub dates from c 1860-1870 but the Victorian and Edwardian heroes and heroines are actually a quite recent addition. They were commissioned from stained glass artist Ann Sotheran and were completed in 1989, over a century after the pub first opened. More on the artist from her website here.
