Send us a text

Kennington. There’s nothing beige about pub history in this part of London. Today we kick back the saloon doors of Kennington, where pubs aren’t just buildings, they’re characters with backstories, secrets, and a scattering of taxidermy.

We’ll stumble through boozers that once stared straight at Bedlam, meet a pub magician who almost flambéed a flock of pigeons, and uncover how Charlie Chaplin’s dad made pubs his stage and possibly inspired Chaplin’s signature little tramp walk.

Expect Tudor urinals, circus origins, and a pub fight scene fit for Hollywood. It’s London history—unfiltered, slightly unhinged, and best served with a running commentary.

Cheers to the weird, the wobbly, and the wonderfully baronial.

Website: https://historiclondonpubcast.com

E-mail: hosteric@historiclondonpubcast.com

Send us a text

Get the essence of Episode 49 in under 8 minutes!

Chelsea Pub Crawl – Bohemians to Billionaires. Groovy!

Website: https://historiclondonpubcast.com

E-mail: hosteric@historiclondonpubcast.com

Send us a text

We’re back in the East End of London, kicking off a multi-episode visit to multi-cultural Hackney.

We kick things off with a crash course in Hackney’s rebellious roots, from Roman roads to Quakers, Huguenots, and anarchists with a flair for protest. If London has a punk Borough, this is it. Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious of The Sex Pistols met here at Hackney Technical College.

Then we hit the pubs for our Hackney Pub Crawl.

First stop: The Kenton - a pub with a moose head, Scandi vibes, and a backstory featuring beer-slinging legend Ben Kenton (no, he wasn’t a knight, but he should have been).

Next: The Chesham Arms, a cornerstone of activism in Hackney. A pub so beloved that locals straight-up fought off developers like it was an episode of EastEnders meets Gladiator. Spoiler alert: the pub won.

Then: The Cock Tavern, where you can find pickled egg royalty, beard-friendly vibes, and the birthplace of Howling Hops microbrewery. Oh, and don’t forget those CAMRA awards.

We close at The Dolphin, the late-night legend that danced too close to the flame. Once a karaoke-fueled chaos magnet, now a chill spot with a Grade II listing and a slightly less wild crowd.

Show Map

https://historiclondonpubcast.com/show-map/

References

• Wikipedia

Hackney

• Radical History: https://hackneyhistory.wordpress.com/timeline/
• craftbeernomads Hackney Craft Beer Article: https://craftbeernomads.com/craft-beer-in-hackney-london-england/

The Kenton

• https://camra.org.uk/pubs/kenton-homerton-156200
• https://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Article/2019/05/29/My-Pub-the-Kenton-Hackney-east-London/
• https://abetterbeerblog427.com/2018/06/17/who-was-ben-kenton-and-how-good-was-his-porter/
• https://pubwiki.co.uk/LondonPubs//Hackney/KentonArms.shtml

The Chesham Arms

• https://www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/2013/04/06/chesham-arms-pub-community-asset/
• https://www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/2018/03/27/chesham-arms-hackney-pub-heritage-status/
• https://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/news/25305026.telegraph-names-ten-london-pubs-among-best-england/
• https://camra.org.uk/pubs/chesham-arms-homerton-156176
• https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/25098/

The Cock Tavern

• https://pubwiki.co.uk/LondonPubs/Hackney/Cock.shtml
• https://camra.org.uk/pubs/cock-tavern-hackney-156035
• https://www.hackneycitiz

Website: https://historiclondonpubcast.com

E-mail: hosteric@historiclondonpubcast.com