The Spaniards Inn
– Enjoy a Drink in a Highwayman’s Haunt
The Spaniards Inn is a notorious old London pub sitting on Hampstead Heath. It was built in 1585 as a tollgate inn, and as you might expect, it has a long and interesting history.
A pub since the 18th century, it has a long-standing connection with the famed highwayman Dick Turpin, The Spaniards Inn even has a bar named in his honour. Local legend holds that Dick was born at the inn and later used it as a base for his nefarious operations. Turpin’s pistols used to hang over the bar until they were stolen, but you can still see a ball from his pistols framed and hanging there. When a pub gets to such a venerable age it is sometimes hard to unravel the fact from fiction, but it is truly a building full of stories and secrets. The pub may have gotten its name from being the retreat of the Spanish Ambassador to King James’ court in the 16th century, or it might be in honour of Francesco and Juan Porero, two former landlords from Spain. Legend has it these brothers fought a duel over a woman, and Juan was killed. His ghost is said to haunt the premises, as well as the ghost of Dick Turpin and an unidentified woman in white. The pub has numerous literary and artistic connections, being mentioned in “The Pickwick Papers” by Charles Dickens and Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” as well as being featured in many other 19th century novels. John Keats reportedly wrote “An Ode to a Nightingale” in the pub’s expansive garden one fine summer afternoon. William Blake, Robert Louis Stevenson, Mary Shelley, and Lord Byron were all patrons, as were the painters Constable, Hogarth, and Reynolds. The pub is a lovely old place, largely unchanged over the years. The rooms inside have low beams and dark panelling with creaky uneven wooden floors. There is a main bar on the first floor with a dining area, and upstairs there is a quiet panelled dining room. On fine days, the garden is the place to be. It has plenty of tables and shaded seating areas, and at night it is lit up like a fairyland with hanging night-lights. The garden even boasts a “Doggy Wash” where your canine companion can get clean after a day exploring the heath.
The Spaniards Inn Address: Spaniards Road, NW3 7JJ Telephone: 020 8731 6571 Opening Times Monday to Friday 11am-11pm, Saturday & Sunday 10am-11pm | Food served: Monday to Friday 11.30am-10pm, Saturday & Sunday 12noon-10pm
Photo courtesy: Ewan-M
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