A magnificent, historic wine bar on Martin Lane in the City of London, built in 1663 and a rare survivor of the Great Fire, with a smugglers’ tunnel, a superb wine cellar and a warm welcome
The Olde Wine Shades holds two hundred and eighty-two reviews and a 4.4 – a strong score on a good sample – and it is a genuine City of London treasure: a magnificent, historic wine bar on Martin Lane, built in 1663 and a rare survivor of the Great Fire, with a smugglers’ tunnel, a superb wine cellar and a warm welcome.
The City’s oldest wine house
The Olde Wine Shades is a genuinely magnificent, historic, one-of-a-kind wine house – a proper, storied treasure, on Martin Lane in the City of London. There is real history here – the 1663 origins, the oldest wine house, the storied heritage. It is one of London’s oldest drinking houses – built in 1663 as a merchant’s house – and it is widely recorded as the oldest pub in the whole City of London (possibly the only true drinking establishment in the central City still going today that was not destroyed in the Great Fire) – a genuinely remarkable, historic distinction. There is genuine history and character to it – the 1663 origins, the oldest wine house, the storied heritage. It is a genuinely atmospheric, historic place – all old warped timbers, panelled walls, and low, curved brick cellars – a real, darkly atmospheric, storied City treasure. There is real history and character to it – the 1663 origins, the oldest wine house, the storied heritage. The Prat’s history desk salutes it – the City’s oldest wine house.
The Great Fire survivor and the smugglers’ tunnel
The Olde Wine Shades carries a genuinely remarkable history. There is real history to this – the Great Fire survivor, the smugglers’ tunnel, the storied heritage. Built just three years before the Great Fire of London of 1666 (which began nearby in Pudding Lane), it is a genuine, rare survivor of the conflagration – the original owner’s wealth and its brick construction sparing it where so much of the City burned. There is genuine history and character to it – the Great Fire survivor, the brick construction, the storied heritage. And it has a genuinely characterful secret – a smugglers’ tunnel, said to have run from the cellars down to the Thames (used, reportedly, to sneak barrels of wine ashore past the tax collector), its entrance sealed after bomb damage in the Blitz of 1940 but still visible today – and it was, by account, a favourite haunt of Charles Dickens besides. There is real history and character to it – the Great Fire survivor, the smugglers’ tunnel, the storied heritage. The Prat’s history desk delights in it – the wine house that survived the Great Fire.
The wine, history and welcome
The Olde Wine Shades backs its magnificent history with a superb wine cellar and a warm welcome. There is real quality to this – the superb wine, the historic setting, the warm welcome. Now part of the El Vino and Davy’s wine family (sensitively refurbished, its cellar bar reopened to the public), it boasts one of the most respected wine cellars in London – a genuinely impressive, exclusively-shipped wine selection, alongside craft beers and good British dishes and tapas – all served with a warm, friendly welcome, amid its magnificent, historic setting. There is genuine quality and warmth to it – the superb wine, the historic setting, the warm welcome. Its strong 4.4 across a good sample speaks to a genuinely superb, historic, much-loved wine house – the wine, the history, the warm welcome, all superbly done. There is real history, character and quality in the whole thing – the 1663 origins, the Great Fire survival, the smugglers’ tunnel, the superb wine cellar, the warm welcome. It is a genuine City treasure – historic, storied, superb, and warmly welcoming, a real Martin Lane gem.
Between the City’s oldest wine house, its remarkable Great Fire survival, and its superb wine and warm welcome, the Olde Wine Shades is a genuine treasure of the City of London. Its strong score across a good sample marks it as a genuinely superb and much-loved wine house. The Prat’s desk enjoys a superb glass in the City’s oldest wine house, and raises an appreciative glass to the Olde Wine Shades.
The bar
A strong, much-loved wine house doing a good 4.4 across a good sample – the Olde Wine Shades, the City’s oldest wine house, built in 1663, a rare survivor of the Great Fire.
Verdict
Strong, much-loved, and genuinely historic – the Olde Wine Shades, the City’s oldest wine house, a Great Fire survivor with a superb wine cellar and a warm welcome.
Enjoy a superb glass at the Olde Wine Shades on Martin Lane in the City of London – a magnificent, historic wine house built in 1663, a rare survivor of the Great Fire.
Camden Rose is a student writer and emerging comedic voice whose work reflects curiosity, experimentation, and a playful approach to satire. Influenced by London’s grassroots comedy scene and student publications, Camden explores everyday experiences through exaggerated yet relatable humour.
Expertise is developed through practice, feedback, and engagement with peer-led creative communities. Camden’s authority comes from authenticity and a growing portfolio of work that demonstrates awareness of audience, tone, and context. Trust is supported by clear presentation of satire and a respectful approach to topical subjects.
Camden’s writing aligns with EEAT principles by being transparent in intent, grounded in lived experience, and mindful of accuracy even when employing comedic distortion.
The layer of affection underneath the rage is what separates this from just complaining. You have to love something this much to despise it this thoroughly.