Why The White Hart Is Worth Seeking Out
You may have come looking for The White Hart because you’ve seen it described as London’s oldest licensed pub, with a history supposedly stretching back to 1216. Or perhaps you’ve spotted its narrow frontage while exploring Covent Garden and the West End.
Don’t let the modest exterior fool you. This Drury Lane pub stretches much farther back than you might expect, opening from a narrow front bar into a large, high-ceilinged rear room. Its history includes highwaymen, political radicals and a visit from Karl Marx, although not every story attached to the pub is quite what it seems.
Know Before You Go
Crowd Expectations — The White Hart gets crowded before West End theatre performances, particularly in the early evening. For a better chance of finding a seat, try visiting in the afternoon. Weekend evenings bring late-night music and a busier, louder atmosphere.
Food & Dining — Expect British pub favorites such as fish and chips, savory pies and traditional Sunday roasts.
Reservations — Tables can be booked in advance, particularly useful for pre-theatre dining and Sunday roast. The rear dining room may occasionally be closed for private events.
Visiting with Children — The pub welcomes families for lunch and afternoon visits, but the atmosphere becomes more adult-oriented later in the day. Check with the pub directly about any age restrictions during evening hours.
Step Inside: There’s More Room Than You Think
Step through the entrance on Drury Lane and you’ll find a relatively narrow front bar, with a cozy seating area beside the windows. If one of the sofas is free, it’s a comfortable place to settle in and watch the street outside.
Continue toward the back and the space opens into a surprisingly large room with high ceilings and plenty of seating. It’s an unexpected contrast to the little frontage outside and offers more room to settle in, particularly if you’re visiting with friends or staying for a meal.
What’s the Pint Pick?
Order a pint of Timothy Taylor’s Landlord if it’s available on the handpump. This classic Yorkshire pale ale is one of the pub’s regularly listed cask beers, alongside St Austell Tribute.
Order your pint or half-pint at the bar and pay when you order. If the card machine prompts you for a tip, you can press skip. Digital prompts are increasingly common these days, but tipping is still not customary when buying drinks at a London pub bar counter.
Is This Really London’s Oldest Licensed Pub?
The White Hart proudly claims a history dating to 1216, making it one of London’s more ambitious contenders for the title of oldest licensed pub.
But there’s an important distinction between the history of a pub name, an earlier inn and the building standing here today.
The present White Hart was rebuilt in 1912, and the claim of continuous licensing since 1216 is disputed. The earlier White Hart also occupied a different plot from the present building.
That doesn’t make the pub’s history uninteresting. It simply means you’re visiting a twentieth-century pub with much older associations, rather than an intact medieval tavern.
The Highwaymen and Karl Marx
The White Hart’s connection to the notorious highwayman Dick Turpin is more than just pub folklore. Testimony from an Old Bailey case in March 1735 places Turpin and fellow gang members at the White Hart Inn on Drury Lane, meeting in the early evening. That’s a much more interesting connection than the familiar story that Turpin stopped here for a final drink before his execution—which actually took place in York.
A century later, the pub became a meeting place for London’s political radicals. In the 1840s, its upstairs rooms were associated with the German Workers’ Educational Society and the Communist League. Historical accounts place the circulation of the famous slogan “Proletarians of all countries, unite!” at the White Hart in the autumn of 1847, shortly before the publication of the Communist Manifesto.
The rooms aren’t presented as a public historic attraction today, so don’t arrive expecting to tour a preserved Communist League meeting hall. The connection is part of the pub’s remarkable history rather than a separate visitor experience.
Address: 191 Drury Lane, London WC2B 5QD
Nearest Station: Holborn
Website: The White Hart