Ye Old Mitre Tavern Hatton Garden London England UK
There’s a sense of discovery when you find the Olde Mitre Tavern. It’s hidden down an alleyway between 8 and 9 Hatton Garden, marked by an old crooked street lamp and a small sign in the shape of a bishop's mitre, the arched alleyway entrance has a sign above stating "Ye Olde Mitre 1546". Despite these clues many who work in the area don't know it exists. This tiny pub is a real hidden gem. It has two downstairs bars and a further room upstairs which is generally used as an overflow bar or for functions. All are wood panelled, cosy and relaxing. There are no TV's, gaming machines or piped music, just the murmur of polite conversation. Lunchtimes can be a bit of a squeeze and on dry days customers spill out into the courtyard, but usually it's a good place for a quiet pint. The original tavern was built in 1547 for the servants of the Palace of the Bishops of Ely (Cambridgeshire). The palace was their London base, they had power and riches and played host to Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. After the reformation, Elizabeth forced the bishops to rent some of their land to Sir Christopher Hatton, one of her courtiers. The area became known as Hatton Garden, and is famous as the centre of London's diamond and jewellery trade. Both palace and pub were demolished in 1772, although the pub was soon re-built. A stone mitre from the palace gatehouse is built into a wall. The preserved trunk of a cherry tree in the corner of the front bar marked the boundary of the diocese and the land leased to Hatton, and legend has it that Elizabeth I danced the maypole around it.
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Photo credit: © Neil Setchfield / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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