Museum Tavern -- Great George Street, Camden, London, UK
N 51° 31.094 W 000° 07.560
30U E 699393 N 5711373
Museum Tavern is located across from (no surprise) the British Museum, and features a historic marker on the front
Waymark Code: WMT8C7
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 10/13/2016
Views: 1
The Museum Tavern in Bloomsbury across the street from he British Museum has been serving patrons under one name or another since 1723.
The historic marker reads as follows:
"The earliest record of the Museum Tavern was in 1723, although as that stage it was called ‘The Dog and Duck’ after the hunting that took place in the surrounding ponds and swamps. In 1750 the British Museum was established and the pub promptly adopted its current name. Taking advantage of the rebuilding of Museum Street, in 1855 the Tavern was expanded to its present size. The bar and backfittings were added in 1889, and are still used today. The pub retains many other original features, including mirrors and windows, and continues to odder food and drink to weary travelers."
From the pub website: (
visit link)
"The Museum Tavern in Bloomsbury is a quintessentially British Pub situated just opposite the British Museum. This cosy and elegant pub is a slice of culture itself and was the work of architect William Finch Hill.
The Museum Tavern was expanded in 1855 and much of what you see today dates from then or a little later. Despite the removal of partitions that divided Victorian drinkers, many original features remain, like much of the carved wooden fittings, etched and cut glass outer windows and some coloured leaded-glass detail. The pub is the proud work of architect William Finch Hill and is probably his only surviving work, save for the recently reopened Hat & Feathers in Clerkenwell. Hill was well known for his music hall designs but alas these seem to have all gone.
In the early eighteenth century a pub called the Dog & Duck stood there. Its name reflecting the hunting that took place on the surrounding swamps and ponds. The British Museum was built in the 1760's and the pub changed its name to suit. Past customers include, J.B. Priestley, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Karl Marx. Visitors to the British Museum who have absorbed enough culture will always find a warm welcome in the Museum Tavern across the street."