As Treethorpe has two offices, one situated in Canary Wharf London and the other in Cambridge, we are always make an effort to build our team relationships as strong as can be by organising co-office events and socials. For this summer, we chose to do a Liquid History Tour in London.
A lovely staff event where we learned a lot of history at a steady pace and enjoying a beverage along the way in historical pubs once used by many famous people. This included Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) and his famous cat Hodge, Charles Dickens (1812–1870) and the infamous demon butcher, Sweeny Todd.
Here is an overview of some of the amazing pubs we visited:
The Viaduct Tavern — This pub was once a gin palace and then became a debtor’s prison. Situated by St Pauls Cathedral and The Old Bailey, there is still a bullet hole in the ceiling and wall painting from a drunken WW1 soldier discharging his weapon. At the back of the bar still stands the token booth which allowed the customers to purchase a token to buy their drink — the owner did not trust the staff to handle cash.
The Cockpit — This pub dates from the 16th Century. As implied in the name, this pub was once the main place for a cock fight before being banned in England and Wales 1849.
The Blackfriars — Built in 1875, this gorgeous pub was nearly demolished in 1960, but was thankfully saved by Sir John Betjeman, a Poet Laureate. It has some of the most beautiful pieces of marble showing some magnificent designs. If you look around there are many things to catch your eyes, including a dragon, two monkeys and a red rose. This pub is a must see for the décor alone.
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese — This was rebuilt after the Great Fire of London. An original copy of ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ published in 1859 by Charles Dickens is on display as it is.
We then crossed Lincoln’s Inn Fields to our last stop of the day, The Ship Tavern. This tavern was built to quench the thirst of the workers from Lincoln’s Inn Fields. It is famous for the secret Catholic services held when Catholicism became illegal. The execution of those clergymen took place in Lincoln’s Inn Fields meaning the tavern had increased patronage due to the crowds in attendance.
Following our tour, we continued to enjoy a delicious dinner of pizza accompanied by great conversation and laughter before making our way home.
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