A hidden City tavern up an alley off Bow Lane – once the residence of the Lord Mayors of London, built after the Great Fire, with the oldest excise licence in the City
Williamson’s Tavern carries a strong 4.6 across more than nine hundred reviews and is one of the most genuinely historic pubs in this whole survey – a hidden City tavern tucked up a narrow alley, once the very home of the Lord Mayors of London. The Prat’s history desk was thoroughly delighted.
Groveland Court, the City
Williamson’s stands in Groveland Court, a narrow alley off Bow Lane near Cheapside and St Paul’s – on the north bank in the City of London, and so a geographic stray in this south-bank survey, caught by the scrape’s reach. We flag the bank plainly, though its history is far from marginal.
The Lord Mayor’s residence
The tavern’s history is remarkable. The building was raised shortly after the Great Fire of 1666, on the site of the home of Sir John Fastolf – the general on whom Shakespeare is said to have based his character Falstaff. From around 1670 until 1753 it served as the official residence of the Lord Mayors of London – the grand house where the City’s first citizen lived – until the Lord Mayor moved to the newly-built Mansion House. In 1739 one Robert Williamson bought the building and converted it into a hotel and tavern, giving it his name; it stayed in the Williamson family until 1914. The pub proudly claims to hold the oldest excise licence in the City of London.
The king and queen’s gates
The Prat’s favourite detail is the royal one. King William III and Queen Mary II are said to have dined at the tavern as guests of the Lord Mayor, and in thanks they presented a gift: a fine pair of wrought-iron gates, bearing their intertwined “WM” monogram, which still stand nearby and are now Grade II listed. There is also, inset in the wall, a tablet claiming to mark the exact geographical centre of the City of London – a charming, if unsubstantiated, boast. And Roman bricks, unearthed during a 1930s rebuilding, were set into the fireplace, tying the tavern to the very foundations of Roman Londinium.
Martha the poltergeist
No historic City tavern would be complete without a ghost, and Williamson’s has one: a poltergeist called Martha, after whom the downstairs room is now named. Local legend holds that police dogs bark and refuse to enter the narrow alley of Groveland Court, unsettled by Martha’s presence. Whether one believes it or not, it is a fine story for a fine old tavern – hidden up an alley, once the Lord Mayor’s home, haunted, and pouring pints where the City’s grandees once dined. The strong 4.6 across nine hundred reviews is a fitting score for so historic a gem.
Verdict
A 4.6 across nine hundred-plus reviews is a strong score, and Williamson’s Tavern earns it on genuinely remarkable history. Hidden up an alley off Bow Lane, it was built after the Great Fire, served as the Lord Mayors’ residence for eighty years, holds the oldest excise licence in the City, keeps the king and queen’s gift of iron gates, and is haunted by Martha the poltergeist.
Go and seek out this hidden City gem up Groveland Court, and raise a pint where the Lord Mayors of London once lived and William and Mary once dined. Just be kind to Martha – and spare a thought for the police dogs who, they say, will not enter the alley.
Alan Nafzger was born in Lubbock, Texas, the son Swiss immigrants. He grew up on a dairy in Windthorst, north central Texas. He earned degrees from Midwestern State University (B.A. 1985) and Texas State University (M.A. 1987). University College Dublin (Ph.D. 1991). Dr. Nafzger has entertained and educated young people in Texas colleges for 37 years. Nafzger is best known for his dark novels and experimental screenwriting. His best know scripts to date are Lenin’s Body, produced in Russia by A-Media and Sea and Sky produced in The Philippines in the Tagalog language. In 1986, Nafzger wrote the iconic feminist western novel, Gina of Quitaque. He currently lives in Holloway, North London. Contact: [email protected]
