Spaniards Inn

The Spaniards Inn lies on Spaniards Road on the way from Hampstead to Highgate, on the edge of Hampstead Heath near Kenwood House in London. Built in 1585 as a tollgate inn on the Finchley boundary, it formed the entrance to the Bishop of London's estate - an original boundary stone from 1755 can still be seen in the front garden. These boundaries are still relevant today - the pub is in Barnet and the tollhouse is in Camden, both are now listed buildings and traffic is reduced to one lane between the two. A proposal to demolish the tollhouse opposite the Spaniards in 1961 was successfully resisted, partly on the grounds that it would lead to more and faster traffic

The Inn remains a quaint, oak panelled and atmospheric pub with one of the best pub gardens in London which were originally created as pleasure gardens, with an artificial mound from which one could see views over London and even as far as Windsor Castle.

Dick Turpin is thought to have been a regular at the Inn and his father is rumoured to have been a previous landlord. What is certain is that highway men frequented this area and likely used the Inn to watch the road; at that time the Inn was around two hours from London by coach and the area had its fair share of wealthy travellers. Records from the Old Bailey show that on 16th October 1751 Samuel Bacon was indicted for robbery on the Kings Highway and was caught 200 yards from the Spaniards. A tree (now gone) at the end of the road was a famous site where highwaymen were hanged when caught.

Other notable figures that are certain to have drunk there include John Keats - who wrote "Ode to a Nightingale" in the garden one summer’s day; Charles Dickens - who featured the Inn in the "Pickwick Papers" and in "". It is certain that many more 'notables' have frequented the Inn over the years (Marx is another).

The Inn has a large number of literary connections: from the "Pickwick Papers" to "Ode to a Nightingale" as mentioned; but also Bram Stoker's "Dracula" and many late 19 century novels.

Food

In 2006/7 it won "Best Food Pub: London" in the Morning Advertiser Awards. It has a selection of over 40 beers and is widely respected for the quality of its ales.

Notable Patrons

* Dick Turpin
* Lord Byron
* Percy Shelley
* Bram Stoker
* John Keats
* Charles Dickens
* Karl Marx
* Henry Kelly

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A413902 Spaniard's Inn] - article in BBC's H2G2 with more on history and atmosphere of the pub.
* [http://www.pubs.com/pub_details.cfm?ID=240 Spaniards Inn] - article in pubs.com
* [http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,5-2004371084,00.html Haunt is on for pub ghosts] - owner of the Spaniard's Inn claims pub is haunted