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Dominican friars, Henry VIII’s messy divorce drama, the birthplace of London’s printing press, and a Cold War secret nearly spilled. We’re on Fleet Street for the first in a two-part series of a lively, fact-packed London pub walk exploring Fleet Street pubs. Host and London travel guide, Eric Blair dives into London pub history with stories pulled straight from Fleet Street’s printing press. 

First up, we visit The Black Friar pub London — an Art Nouveau London pub built on the site of a Dominican friary, where Henry VIII’s divorce history made headlines centuries before tabloids.

Then it's off to St. Bride’s Church, where we'll uncover a surprising link to Roanoke’s lost colony. 

At The Old Bell Tavern Fleet Street, explore how a simple pint almost spilled Cold War London secrets, and find out why poets and printers alike made this their haunt.

Finally, we stop at The Tipperary pub London, a survivor of fire, rebranding, and near-demolition — and a cornerstone of this historic London walk.

Perfect for anyone looking for London travel tips or planning a London pub tour. Whether you're into British history podcasts, London history podcasts, London travel podcasts, or just love a good pub crawl London-style through some of the best London pubs, this episode has something for you!

Show Map

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

References 

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

The Black Friar

https://www.londonremembers.com/memorials/black-friar-pub

Dominicans

https://rosaryshrine.co.uk/about-us/history-of-the-dominicans-in-london/

Henry VIII’s Divorce

https://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2020/5/3/henry-viiis-divorce-of-catherine-of-aragon-who-had-the-better-case-in-the-great-divorce#.XsFsfC-ZOi4=

https://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2020/5/17/henry-viiis-divorce-of-catherine-of-aragon-who-had-the-better-case-in-the-great-divorce-part-2-how-henrys-efforts-to-overturn-the-marriage-in-the-courts-failed#.XsGSUi-ZOi4=

https://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2020/6/14/henry-viiis-divorce-of-catherine-of-aragon-who-had-the-better-case-in-the-great-divorce-part-3-catherines-case-for-the-marriage#.XuZ_eS3Myi4=

Wynkyn de Worde

https://www.fleetstreetheritage.co.uk/128.pdf

https://www.wynkyndewordesociety.org/about

Alexander Pope

Website: https://historiclondonpubcast.com

E-mail: [email protected]