London's Greatest Literary Pubs

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O, that men should put an enemy in their mouths to steal away their brains! that we should, with joy, pleasance, revel, and applause, transform ourselves into beasts! Othello, William Shakespeare

It is of course ironic that the bard's incendiary comments regarding alcohol should see his name sake live in infamy as one of the most common names for a drinking establishment in Great Britain. However, it remains a fact that more often than not when it comes to a great writer, a great drinker is not far behind, and in our fair city of London we have a great collection of the best of both. Here is a rundown of the finest drinking establishments to host some of the finest writers that once called London home.

"Do not go gentle into that good night" At the Fitzroy Tavern in Soho

It is here that Dylan Thomas, George Orwell, Virgina Woolf and George Bernard Shaw to name but a few would "rage against the dying of the light" argue and of course drink. The Fitzroy Tavern is now part of the Samuel Smith chain of pubs in London, which is good in the sense that it means slightly cheaper beer, but bad in the sense that it has been stripped of its individuality. But while the Fitzroy is a shadow of its former self for any literary aficionados it retains a little of the energy that once made it (arguably) the most famous pub in the world during the 1940's. In the bar downstairs there are still pictures that adorn the walls of famous former drinkers including Dylan Thomas who would write poetry on beer mats to any woman attractive enough to catch his fancy and that, in its own right, is reason enough to visit the Fitzroy.

If "it was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking 13" (1984) you are most likely heading to the Wheatsheaf also in Soho where George Orwell - before writing one of the most seminal books of the 20th century once graced the bar with, well, his vomit. On a less sickly note the provocative Dylan Thomas met his future wife Catlin in the very same establishment. The Wheatsheaf has kept a lot of the charm that made it a favourite amongst great past literary patronage and the Tudor style pub with great glass stained windows, that now host comedy nights, certainly makes the Wheatsheaf worth a visit. (note: the bar staff encourage you not to actively follow Orwell's example.)

Of course you couldn't have a list of London's most famous literary drinking holes without paying homage to the writer whose pen characterized the city more so, than any before, or any after him. In order to do this you need to head down to the Lamb on 94 Lambs Conduit Street Charles Dickens drinking establishment of choice. The pub around the corner from the Dickens museum and former residence needs nothing more to cement its literary heritage but the fact that it was also one of the original meeting places for the Bloomsbury Publishing Group certainly helps. The Lamb was built in the 1720's and restored and refaced during the Victorian era. The most notable feature of the pub, besides the bizarrely green walls, is the now rare "snob screens", an implement that shields the drinker from prying and disapproving eyes. It appears that despite Dickens ability to observe, report and capture the city of London with the written word when it came to drinking he liked to take a well deserved break.

There are many more pubs steeped in literary tradition in London including the French House in Soho, once an official headquarters for the French resistance and regulars of Brendan Behan and Dylan Thomas (yes, it's hard to find a pub that he didn't frequent) it is still a very chic drinking hole. The Dove in Hammersmith, the current Guinness world record holder for smallest bar in England was also a favourite of Graham Green and Ernest Hemingway the latter as famed for his notorious drinking abilities as his literary prowess. However, if soaking up the haunts of the great and gone doesn't float your boat head down to the Poetry Cafe where the atmosphere is still very alive. The cafe is tucked neatly away in Covent Garden and here you will find literary and poetry readings on a nightly basis. There are a variety of events including established and lauded modern poets and even London's premier unplugged open mic night, for those of you who fancy themselves the next Bard, or of course just want to take in the atmosphere and get a drink. Here is a list of the Poetry Cafe's upcoming events. It just may be that here that you find the next voice of a generation, or of course, the ghost of Dylan Thomas.

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