7 Of The Most Notorious Pubs In London

It’s the first pub on our list, and also the first to be associated with The Krays. The Chester Street boozer might be a welcoming local now, but it will always be associated with the gangster underworld of the 60s. It was owned by the brothers at the height of their criminal powers; Reggie and Ronnie bought the pub in 1967 for their mother, and they masterminded many of their operations from The Carpenter’s. The pair were both later convicted for murder, and Reggie’s funeral procession passed right by the pub in 2000.

Eleanor Bull’s Tavern was home to one of the most famous pub murders ever back in the 16th century, after Shakespeare’s contemporary Christopher Marlowe was killed there in 1593. Marlowe had allegedly been spying on the Catholic church in Cambridge, and the tavern was famous for housing spies at the time. The incident was referenced in Shakespeare’s As you Like It, which makes it a pretty damn famous boozer.

Pubs around Spitalfields market have changed a lot since the 19th century, but the history of The Ten Bells is still pretty terrifying. The pub was frequented by two of Jack the Ripper’s victims, Annie Chapman and Mary Kelly, and while it may be a nice spot for a shandy now, it’ll be forever connected with the Ripper’s grizzly story.

The Blind Beggar is the second pub on the list associated with the Krays. It was here in 1964 that Ronnie Kray murdered George Cornell, who was involved with rival gang The Richardsons. The incident is thought to have taken place after Cornell called Ronnie a “fat poof” a few days before, and it was recently recreated in Tom Hardy's movie Legend. The history of the pub isn’t all bad though; William Booth also created The Salvation Army here in 1865, so that's something.

Another nasty one this… The Magdala was the setting for the murder of David Blakely, who was shot by his girlfriend Ruth Ellis in 1955. Ruth immediately surrendered to police outside the Hampstead pub, but she became the last woman ever to be hanged in the UK as a result.

The Grenadier is widely regarded as one of the most haunted pubs in London. It's said to be home to the ghost of a solider killed for cheating at cards there in the early 1700s. All sorts of paranormal activity have been reported there, and customers have even claimed they’ve had drinks knocked out their hands by a ghostly figure, which has to be the worst excuse for spilling a pint we’ve ever heard.

Known as the “The Devil’s Tavern” back in the day, The Prospect of Whitby used to be home to some of the most sordid activities in London. It’s location right by the river made it a notorious stopping-off point for smugglers and pirates. It’s also the oldest river-side pub in London, having been built in 1543. Like most of these boozers though, it’s come a long way since then, and it’s now a luxury restaurant.