An illustrated guide to London’s best pubs by John Warland
London is a wonderful city. Perhaps I am somewhat biased as I am a Londoner. Ask any tourist of drinking age where they would most like to go, and the list is predictable: The Tower of London, Harrods and a pub. London pubs are steeped in history and part of our culture.
Liquid History: An Illustrated Guide to London’s Greatest Pubs would be the perfect tourist souvenir but will also be loved by Londoners and those interested in our association with these drinking houses. They have been central to social activities as well as the revived interest in craft beer.
Pubs all over the UK are an endangered species. They are closing at the rate of at least one each week and many of those closures are in London. Liquid History is a beautifully illustrated ode to London’s most iconic watering holes. John Warland is the city’s leading pub tour guide and host of the celebrated Liquid History Tours. Who better to pen this fascinating book!
Writers and artists, celebrities and criminals
The book presents 50 noteworthy establishments which tell the story of London’s history through those who have propped up those bars down the ages. They have included London’s writers and artists, celebrities and criminals. So many of these irreplaceable pubs have been swept away by ‘development’ or have fallen foul of changing drinking trends.
There is wonderful information here. The Prospect of Whitby dates back to 1520 and must be on the list of anybody who appreciates the River Thames. The Princess Louise was built in 1872 and named after the feisty fourth daughter of Queen Victoria. Ye Old Cheshire Cheese in Fleet Street is one of the most famous hostelries in the City and should be part of any classy London pub crawl – although I would counsel that you make that crawl no longer than a brace of these charming pubs at a time.
Liquid History: An Illustrated Guide to London’s Greatest Pubs
Author: John Warland
Foreword by: Dan Cruickshank
Published by: Bantam Press
Price: £12.99
ISBN-13: 978-1787634893