Historic London Pubcast

Ep 20 Goose On The Loose - Historic Leadenhall Market Pubs - The Lamb Tavern, Old Tom's Bar & The Counting House

• Eric Blair • Season 1 • Episode 20

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Leadenhall Market has 2000 years of history and 3 great pubs in or around it. Let’s check them out

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Google map with pubs covered in previous episodes pinned, courtesy of Andy Meddick:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/4/edit?mid=12c-WKa3XiT1qTLydK8psZocUR7Y_Wes&usp=sharing

Or TinyURL: https://tinyurl.com/bduca5dv

The following resources are referenced or quoted frequently in these episodes:

  • Ted Bruning  -- Historic Pubs of London (ISBN 978-0658005022) and London By Pub (ISBN 978-0658005022)
  • Wikipedia
  • https://londonspubswherehistoryreallyhappened.wordpress.com/  by Ann Laffeaty  (Counting House article)

Additionally, the  following resource(s) were used / quoted in this episode:

Wiki article on “Brannigan” – see “Production” section: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brannigan_(film)

Old Tom bio:

https://blackcablondon.net/2012/04/10/cabbies-curios-old-tom-of-leadenhall/

Bronte reveal:

https://www.annebronte.org/2017/03/23/smith-elder-co-anne-bronte-in-london/

Roman Britain  by  Guy de la Bédoyère,  ISBN-10: 0-500-05140-2


Intro music:

Vivaldi - Spring Allegro by John Harrison w/ the Wichita State University Chamber Orch

Photo:  Farr Better Photos



Website: https://historiclondonpubcast.com/

E-mail: hosteric@historiclondonpubcast.com

Welcome to this episode of The Historic London Pubcast. I'm Eric Blair, and I'd like to take you on a journey through the rich history of London's iconic pubs. My goal is to share with you my passion for the great old pubs of London. I want to give you some facts to help you appreciate the history of these hallowed establishments mixed in with some fun stories that make it all go down as smooth as a well poured pint.

Today we will visit Leadenhall Market, which is in the heart of The City of London, also known as The Square Mile. This is the historic financial district of London. There are two pubs at the market that we'll cover, and another pub on nearby Cornhill Street. Before we talk about the pubs it contains, let's discuss Leadenhall Market itself, the website of the market leadenhallmarket.co.uk provides an interesting and concise history, especially since it covers 2000 years. 

“Leadenhall market stands in the very center of the city. The Romans called Londinium. Underneath the current market arches and cobblestones lie the remains of the forum, as the Roman term for markets and the basilica, their term for courts and civic buildings. The current streets of Bishopsgate, Cheapside and Leadenhall all follow the routes of old Roman roads. The Romans came to Britain in 43 AD and settled in the area that London now stands on. For many Romans, Britannia was seen as remote and its people unsophisticated. Historian Cassius Dio commented, “They well in tents, naked and without shoes.”” 

Hmm. Clearly a time before Bond Street got going. The book Roman Britain tells us that if you were a Roman soldier back in the day and assignment up north was not good news.

This passage sums it up pretty well. Although for the Roman troops in 43 AD, the decision to invade Britain meant the prospect of money in the form of loot and the suspension of garrison drudgery. But it also meant the prospect of absolute terror and for probably many of the Officers too. To the ordinary man, in the mid first century AD, being asked to go to Britain was like someone today being asked to embark on a mythical journey into middle earth with all its attendant terrors.

At the time, most people believed Britain to be a little more than a legend, isolated in fabulous obscurity beyond the sea and home to magic and superstition. Being sent to Britain was, in short, a bowel emptying experience that will have left most soldiers half paralyzed with fear while they tried to keep their footing on the heavy decks of the ships that transported them there. Given half a chance, they would have never embarked, and indeed, the invasion nearly floundered for that very reason. The troops had refused point blank to set foot on the ships, until Emperor Claudius sent a freedman or, ex-slave, to speak to them. This was such an unmitigated insult that to avoid humiliation, the soldiers gave in and obeyed the orders of their General and set out for Britain.

Okay, tough, but the troops did their job. They pressed on, and, as wherever the Romans went, buildings began to emerge. The first forum in Leadenhall goes back to 70 AD. An upgrade a few years later resulted in the largest basilica forum north of the Alps. Occupying an area bigger than that of today’s Trafalgar Square. The basilica itself was the largest outside Italy, so clearly, they had big plans for Britannia.

Roman remains were discovered during the building excavations in the 1800s, including a pier that would have supported a column and a mosaic depicting Bacchus, god of wine, riding a tiger and surrounded by drinking cups and cornucopias. Wow! That would have made a really flashy entrance to dazzle your mates at your local, wouldn't it? 

The Romans pulled out from the four hundreds, but the market continued. By the 1300s, the market became a popular meeting place for sellers of pottery. Nearby was a nobleman's mansion constructed with a roof of lead. An unusual feature for that time. Thus, the area began to be referred to as Leadenhall. In the early 1400s, former Lord Mayor Dick Whittington acquired the lease of the market building and the site and gifted it to the city, who has been running it ever since.

A large market building was constructed by mid-century, doing away with a smaller building that was surrounded by crowded market streets. All trade was now consolidated in the big New Market building. By 1600 Leadenhall could claim to be the most important market in London. All was going well. Then The Great Fire came along in 1666. But with rebuilding, the market came back stronger than ever and took in the beef and hide trade. That proved to be too unruly for a market in the upscale financial district. Beef and hides were moved out to Smithfield, and the City Architect, Sir Horace Jones was instructed to design, 

“A respectable arcade for the poultry market.”

Sir Horace was inspired by The Galleria in Milan, and the current magnificent structure was constructed in 1881. In the 1900s, between the two World Wars, the wholesale poultry trade moved over to Smithfield, but as a consumer, Leadenhall was still the place to buy your Christmas goose for the family.

Of course, all the feathered creatures are gone now, replaced by upscale shops and eateries and oh, a couple of purveyors of ale and spirits. Would you like to hear about those? Hmm, I thought you might. Sure thing. Coming right up. 

The pride of Leadenhall from a libation perspective is The Lamb Tavern. James Party, a wine merchant, established a pub sometime in the period between 1780 and 1800s. Party and his heirs retained ownership for just over 100 years. When it appears to have finally changed over to individuals not named Party in the first decade of the 20th Century. One source claims that the pub also offered watching for folks booking passage with shipping companies on Leadenhall Street. The pub was rebuilt along with the rest of the market in 1881, so you would expect it to have a wonderful Victorian feel and, you'd be right.

After being dazzled by Leadenhall Market itself, you enter the pub, and you see the bar on the left, and to the right a spiral staircase leading up to a mezzanine section. The windows on the first floor are of etched glass. On the wall just past the staircase is a picture of young King Charles pulling a pint behind a bar. Perhaps not this bar, but a bar, nonetheless. I had the cheek to ask the Barman if that was a picture of the employee of the month? He smiled and continued to pour my pint. He'd probably heard that one before. You can take your pint upstairs and enjoy the elevated view. Take care though, the spiral staircase is narrow and a bit tricky with a pint in hand.

The pub was a scene for a fight sequence in the 1975 film Brannigan, starring John Wayne and Richard Attenborough. The scene was a good old donnybrook western saloon fight brought into a British pub. What else would you expect from a John Wayne film? Some of the window glasses were smashed, but not the nice ones. The staircase up to the mezzanine is different today than back then, and as the characters go into the pub, you see scenes from the market where poultry was still being sold.

You can see Brannigan on several streaming services if you just want to see the fight and the pub scenes. They began at one hour, nine minutes and last for about six minutes total. The film is worth watching for other historic London visuals it captures. See the production section of the Wikipedia article linked in the notes. West India Quay, which was shown as derelict, nearly abandoned dockside in the film, has now been totally transformed as part of the Docklands project. The post office at Trafalgar Square consumed much more of the block than it does today. Also, the film had scenes shot inside The Garrick Club, which traditionally does not allow cameras and only agreed in this case because one of the film stars, Richard Attenborough, was a long-term member. In the scene in which the Duke and Sir Richard are at the bar at the club, on the wall behind them are portraits of Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud, both in Garrick Club ties. The Garrick Club scene comes early in the film at 23 minutes and lasts for about five minutes. Watching the film is probably the only way I can peer into The Garrick Club. It is a private member's club founded in 1831 for, 

“Actors and men of refinement to meet on equal terms.”

It was one of the oldest members clubs in the world. Its 1500 members include many actors, writers, journalists, living artists, at least ten serving members of Parliament, and dozens of members of The House of Lords, and many heads of public institutions and prominent businesses. It's a swanky place. 

Back to the pub. The rowdies are now all cleared out. The Lamb is a stand-up bar for the suits in the city, so I try to visit just after the opening to avoid the after-work crowd. A pint at The Lamb is always enjoyable. The other point interest in the market for pub fans is Old Tom’s Bar. This is a cellar establishment directly under the Lamb Tavern, with an entrance from the street just outside the market.

The bar's website describes itself as follows, 

“The best cheese and whiskey bar in the city of London, situated in beautiful Leadenhall Market. You'll be transported back in time between our four walls.”

I really like this bar, and I don't think that they are overstating what they offer. If whiskey is not your thing, they also pour a fine beer, and that you can sip while enjoying the subterranean atmosphere.

Although the current bar only goes back to 2011, the digs have some antiquity. Formerly a working cellar for the market. Then there's the name. Great story here. So, who was Old Tom? First, remember, for much of his life, Leadenhall Market sold geese, chickens and the like, and to keep them fresh, they were brought to the market live. In other words, Leadenhall was the equivalent of Tyburn for our feathered friends. 

The website blackcablondon.net does a nice job of relating Tom's story.

“Old Tom was a goose born in 1797. Like most birds of his kind, hatched in the countryside surrounding London, Tom short life was destined to end in slaughter and plucking at Leadenhall Market. However, Tom was no fool. As the moment of execution approached, the canny bird made an inspired dash for freedom. Tom evaded every attempt at capture, remaining a fugitive in the vicinity for several days. Eventually, the folks at Leadenhall decided to give the bird a reprieve. Tom was left in peace and given the freedom of the market. The lucky goose quickly became a popular character and the market's mascot. He would spend his carefree days waddling around Leadenhall, popping in and out of the numerous taverns where many fans were only too happy to feed him. With this unprecedented freedom and protection, Old Tom managed to keep going for many years and finally passed away at the ripe old age of 38. An amazing lifespan for a goose. When the popular bird died in 1835, the traders at Leadenhall were so heartbroken that they allowed old Tom to lie in state at the market. Thus, allowing the public to pay their final respects.” 

So, let's all drink to Old Tom and the lesson he has left us - keep fighting, it's never too late to change your fate. All right. Ready to leave the market and head out now to the street? Let's walk up to Cornhill Street. We're headed to The Counting House, a relatively new pub, but done up well in the traditional style and located in a historic building.

But first, let's talk about a historic point on Cornhill Street. I am a fan of The Brontë Sisters. The three young women from Yorkshire who wrote novels in the mid-1800s initially under pen names so as not to reveal that they were female authors. They liked their anonymity and felt that the novels would not be judged on their own merits if it was known that they were written by women. The sisters are Charlotte Brontë, most famous for the novel Jane Eyre. Emily Brontë, famous for Wuthering Heights, and Anne Brontë, Author of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. So, what do they have to do with Cornhill Street? In July 1848, all three novels had been published with some success. The most popular being Charlotte’s Jane Eyre, published under the pseudonym Currer Bell. 

The ladies had just sent in drafts to their respective publishers and only communicated by post through editing and publication phases. So, the publishers were as much in the dark as to who the authors were as anybody, but it's hard to keep a secret. On July 7th, in the small Yorkshire town of Haworth, a letter from George Smith, head of Charlotte's publishing firm, Smith Elder, was delivered, addressed to Currer Bell. It asked if he could explain how a book entitled The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was being hawked to an American Publisher as a new work by the Author of Jane Eyre? Evidently, Anne's Publisher had been a bit unscrupulous, trying to get The Tenant of Wildfell Hall a boost from the popularity of her sister's novel. 

The sisters were devastated. Their honesty had been brought into question. What to do? 

“Well,” 

Charlotte said, 

“We must go to London immediately and reveal ourselves to our publishers.”

Anne was up for it. But Emily, always the homebody, said, 

“You go girls, but don't reveal my name.”

Anne and Charlotte were on the train to London the next day, arriving on Friday night and staying at the Chapter Coffee House near Saint Paul's.

Bright and early the next morning they took the half mile walk to the Smith Elder office at 65 Cornhill. It took them an hour because they got lost. London was a bit more complex than their hometown of Haworth, but eventually they entered the ground floor of the building, which was a bookstore, and expressed their desire to meet with Mr. George Elder.

Although it was Saturday, George, a workaholic, was upstairs toiling away. He initially didn't want to meet with a couple of women unknown to him. He was in the middle of some important correspondence, but they would not leave without speaking to him. So, George relented and had the Assistant send them up. The website annebronte.org does a good job of describing what happened next,

“George was surprised when he saw the two women. They were small in stature, timid and wearing clothes that were far from fashionable. He took a moment to survey them and then asked them why they wanted to see him. At this point, Charlotte stepped forward and planted the letter on his desk that she had received just a day earlier.

It was addressed to Currer Bell. Smith, now on the verge of becoming alarmed, he was not averse to publishing mysteries, but not necessarily one that he was in himself. “Where did you get this?” he asked Charlotte. “From the post office,” she replied. It's addressed to me. There was no going back now. Smith, a young man who had recently taken over the firm from his father, could hardly take in what was happening. Could this really be his stellar new writer, Currer Bell, with whom he'd exchanged so many letters? He produced paper and a pen and asked Charlotte to sign her signature. Her Currer Bell of course matched those that Smith already had. Smith was amazed, but there was another surprise to come. Charlotte explained that she was a poor Clergyman's daughter from Yorkshire by the name of Brontë and then introduced her sister Anne and explained that she was Acton Bell whose publisher had recently caused so much controversy with The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Wow! A scene right out of a novel! 

The building that the firm occupied is still standing. Their first floor has clearly been redone and is now the Shanghai Commercial Bank. The upper floors from the outside look like they could have been what existed in 1848. Even today, Cornhill hasn't forgotten its two famous visitors. A wooden door stands at 32 Cornhill, which is a fine work of art by sculptor Walter Gilbert. Made in 1939, it is one of London's hidden treasures. The door features eight elaborate panels showing significant moments in Cornhill's history. The eighth panel, that's the bottom right, depicts the sisters meeting with George Elder. Thank you for sticking with me on all that Brontë history. Like I said, I'm a fan of both the novels and the real-life stories of their Authors. I bet that has made you thirsty. I have a solution. Just a few steps down from the publisher's office is The Counting House, a Fuller’s pub. It's only been around for a few decades but is in a building that goes back almost three centuries. It originally housed the private bank of Amien, Stables and Mercer in 1757. Mergers and acquisitions changed ownership over the years, but it still continued to serve as a bank. A redo of the building occurred in 1893, and it emerged as Prescott's Bank. Finally, it became part of the NatWest network in 1970, before eventually morphing to a more honorable trade, that of a pub, in 1998. The name, The Counting House, is a nod to its previous service. Fuller's has done a fine job of creating an elegant pub. It has an expansive interior, a glass dome ceiling and sweeping staircase. There is mezzanine seating that provides a good view of the goings on below around the central bar.

The website tells us that when the pub conversion opened in 1998, Fuller’s was presented with the City Heritage Award for the sensitive refurbishment of the building. Remember The Lamb Tavern in its early days was said to have offered boarding as well as brews. Not the case now, but The Counting House has taken up that role. They offer 21 rooms, very luxurious but, at Five Star prices. For anyone interested in the full Counting House experience. If not, just popping in for a bit of libation is well worth the effort. When you finish your pint, let's step back out to Cornhill Street. Blogger Ann Lafferty relates that, 

“The street is known for more than just the Brontë reveal. In the 17th Century, the area became renowned for its coffee houses, and also for its wigs. Wigs were big in the 17th and 18th Century, both in terms of popularity and size. Doorways had to be heightened to allow people to pass through with their elaborate headdresses. Wealthy people would dedicate whole rooms to the storage and powdering of their wigs, which is where the term ‘Powder Room’ comes from, and the bigger the wig, the bigger the ego of the wearer. Hence the term ‘Bigwig.’ Shops storing wigs created a fire hazard. Many were made from a combination of wool and animal fat, which made them highly combustible. The Cornhill area was a scene of two major fires in the 18th Century, both of them beginning at wigmaker shops and tragically, these fires claimed many lives, and some pubs. The first fire occurred in 1748, consuming up to 100 houses plus The Fleece, The Swan, The Georgian Vulture and Three Tuns. The second fire in 1765 counted The White Lion among its victims. A pub that had only been bought by its new owners the previous evening.”

Well, I hate to end on that sad note. But take heart, the burned pubs have been rebuilt or replaced, and the wig shops are long gone, so it's safe to return to the Leadenhall and Cornhill area and, the terrific establishments we talked about today are waiting to greet you. It's all good. Once again, dear Listeners, thanks for checking out this episode. As I always say, click the like, thumbs up, and subscribe buttons as you see fit. My email address is in the notes below hosteric@historiclondonpubcast.com. Drop me a line if you care too, and, until next time, Cheers!