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Science-themed/related pubs
Scott Keir
Sunday, 01 June 2008 14:37 UTC
So, what science themed pubs are there in London?
I was thinking this when looking at the Walkers Crisps 2for1 lunch offer and saw that Samuel Pepys was one such pub… and has he was an FRS, he sorta counts as a scientist.
There’s the John Snow in Soho, of course. But I got to wondering… what else is there?
My copy of London Science, by Dennis and Sylvia Rosen (1994) reports that there are pubs named after:
- John (Logie) Baird in Muswell Hill
- Sir Alexander Fleming in Paddington
- Daniel Gooch Bayswater
- and the Florence Nightingale in Waterloo, now closed.
It also reports that
- the Museum Tavern in Bloomsbury has a portrait of Hans Sloane on its sign (which still seems to be there, from a quick photo search)
- and The Moon Under Water in Leicester Sq has portraits of Newton and Hunter inside (though I’m kind of doubting that’s still there…)
Any others? I wonder how this compares with pubs named after musicians or artists?
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Replies
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Great topic, Scott, especially as I promised to lead a science-themed pub crawl the night before the sci blogging conference.
I can add the Crooked Surgeon near Leicester Square. This is very close to the erstwhile surgical museum of William Hunter, which once stood where the Odeon is today. I don’t know if it’s named after Mr Hunter, but it’s near enough for me.
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Oh, interesting one. I’m guessing it is named after Hunter.
I’ve ignored the various meridian pubs – Zero Degrees and the bar that I thought was called Degrees 0W but seems to be W Lounge formerly the Powder Monkey, formerly the Cricketers, in Greenwich.
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I asked Ross from the Wellcome Trust and, more importantly, Fancyapint.com
Ha! This reminds me of the list I put together in an idle hour when I worked at the Royal Society, of pubs named after RS fellows… (all was going swimmingly until I realised that tons of royalty were RS fellows as well, so Prince Regents, George IVs, Prince of Wales etc started swelling the list to stupid proportions).
Scientists: well, you’ve picked off the best ones already. There’s also the Edmund Halley in Lee (a Wetherspoons); I’ve often wondered if the Newton Arms was named after Isaac (somehow don’t think so though). And I suppose Jeremy Bentham’s work isn’t the physical science you’re after (perhaps he fits in under social science…)
A slight curve ball, this one: the Queen’s Head is v close to Darwin’s Down House (and one of the bars in the pub is named after him).
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Oh, and it’s also been pointed out to me that the medical museum formerly in Leicester Square was owned by John Hunter, not his brother William as incorrectly stated in my first reply.
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“Pointed out to you”? Behind the scenes shenanigans over pubs!
And I had no idea Ross was a
drunken lushinternet entrepreneur. This thread really is educational! -
hm, I wonder (although I know that people will argue not) if you’ve thought about the Sherlock Holmes pub? It’s really nice!
After all, he did do experiments and deductions…. but alas, maybe you have to limit yourselves to places related to real scientists and people?!
I’m envious but hope you have a really good time and I look forward reading which places you ended up going to. Next time I’m in London…
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Indeed, I’ve considered the Sherlock Holmes pub. In fact, I’m currently re-reading all the stories with a view to writing an audio walk for someone. But I think I’ll leave it off the science pub crawl, as it is a little tenuous.
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Well, if you finish that audio walk you have at least one buyer :) I did a similar thing when I was in London the first time (at age 15) when I had looked up some of the places… It was more general things though, at the time, as where is Belgravia/Whitechapel/other strange name with lovely houses.
…and of course Baker Street…
I guess you might be out and about at this moment. Have fun!! Looking forward hearing (seeing?) some of the pub names.
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