The folks at Ye Olde Mitre bill it as one of the most difficult to find pubs in London, and they might just be right.
The likelihood of you accidentally stumbling across this pub is close to zero, and it’s exactly that, being so well hidden, that makes it one of London’s best kept secrets and one of our favourite Farringdon pubs. It’s a Fuller’s, so you know what you’re getting: great pub grub, fresh cask ales and friendly service, but with the added benefit of being set in one of London’s quaintest boozers.
Inside the courtyard
On the cusp of Farringdon and Holborn, Ye Olde Mitre is one of London’s historic drinking holes: there’s been a pub on these grounds since 1546 at least, though the building you’ll actually drink in today dates to a rebuild in the 1770s. It’s Grade II listed, and its interior is one of only a handful in the country recognised on CAMRA’s National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors for its outstanding historic importance.
A brief history of Ye Olde Mitre
The pub is built on land that belonged to the former Ely Palace, the London residence of the Bishop of Ely. You’ll still hear pub regulars insist that Ely Place technically counts as part of Cambridgeshire rather than London, on account of the Bishop’s old ownership. It’s a genuinely persistent bit of London pub lore, and one the pub itself is happy to lean into, but it isn’t strictly true today: the area was subject to different bylaws under the Bishops of Ely until the late 20th century, which is very likely where the myth comes from, but Ely Place is not, and has never been, legally part of Cambridgeshire.
Strange as that story is, take a peek at the small enclave inside the pub for something even stranger. The stump of a cherry tree inside is said to be the very one Queen Elizabeth I danced around with her courtier, and rumoured lover, Sir Christopher Hatton.
The tree marked the spot where the Bishop’s lands ended and Sir Christopher’s began, the dividing line between their gardens, and a jealously guarded one at that, since there was no love lost between the two.
It’s much less fractious today: at night, the small courtyard is shrouded in fairy lights, beckoning you to ensconce yourself in a cosy nook, pint in hand.
The London x London Take: This is a proper old-school pub, no games machines, no TVs, no fuss, and it’s earned real recognition for it: it’s landed on more than one “best pubs in the UK” list as recently as this year, and it’s the pub Guy Ritchie chose as Doug the Head’s local in Snatch, which feels about right. The scotch eggs are a genuine highlight if you’re peckish, though the kitchen’s too small for a full menu, so don’t come starving. It’s closed at least one day most weekends, so check before you make a special trip.
Ye Olde Mitre: practical information and map
- Address: 1 Ely Ct, Ely Pl, Holborn, London EC1N 6SJ
- www.yeoldemitreholborn.co.uk
