Jack Straw's Castle is a Grade II listed building and former public house in Hampstead, NorthWest London, England. The current building was designed by the architect Raymond Erith and dates to 1965; it replaced an earlier public house of the same name which was destroyed in The Blitz during the Second World War. The building, like the former one, takes its name from the rebel leader Jack Straw, who led the Peasants' Revolt in 1381 and who is said to have lived on the site. Speaking at Erith's memorial service in 1974, the poet laureate Sir John Betjeman called the building "true Middlesex" and "a delight". It was the final residence of the music hall singer Alec Hurley, who died there in 1913.
The current building now contains a number of luxury apartments and gymnasium.
Public house. 1962-64. By Raymond Erith, built by GE Wallis and Sons; on the site of a previous public house of the same name. Timber-framed construction on brick plinth, clad with painted weatherboarding. Tiled double hipped roofs.
STYLE: in the style of an C18 coaching inn.
PLAN: open sided courtyard plan with single storey staff accommodation block and garages forming south wing.
EXTERIOR: long principal elevation of 3 storeys and cellars. Upper floors with continuous ranges of 20 sashes each, 2nd floor having pointed Gothick lights. Ground floor has vehicle entrance to courtyard to left, sashes and 4 canted bay windows; left hand pair flanks entrance with overlight and sash to right, right hand pair flanks entrance with overlight and sidelights. Single windows to right hand bay indicate interior stair. Projecting bracketed cornice and wooden crenellated parapet. North return with single storey entrance projection and 4 storey tower (contains lift); similar tower at south-west corner of courtyard containing water tanks. Attached to west facade of north wing and facing into courtyard, a single storey projection having an ogee arch with finials to panelled niche with fitted bench seat. Rear with similar fenestration to principal elevation on upper floors but ground floor having pantiled gallery and 2nd floor with continuous cast-iron balcony with tented hood.
INTERIOR: with exposed Douglas fir stanchions and beams bolted at angles with iron plates. Ground floor with continuous tongue and groove pine-panelled bar having fireplaces at either end and to the side bar, these with Erith's initials in the grate. Dog-leg stair with panelled dado, square newels, closed string and fretwork balusters leads to function room, restaurant, and tower bar, all with panelling, the second-floor restaurant with high fixed leather-upholstered benches and tables, the adjoining tower bar with bar counter and fixed pine seating - all part of Erith's concept.
HISTORICAL NOTE: the present building replaced an early C18 public house (not in the same style) altered in the early C19 and bombed in the Second World War; the name commemorates Jack Straw, Wat Tyler's second-in-command during the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, who is said to have had a camp here.