The Old Bell Tavern

The Old Bell Tavern on Fleet Street in London is a Grade II listed pub built in the 1670s by Sir Christopher Wren to house and serve the masons rebuilding neighboring Saint Bride’s Church after the Great Fire of 1666. Located at 95 Fleet Street, the site previously housed Wynkyn de Worde’s printing press around 1500 and later became a famous social hub for Fleet Street journalists.

London · from the walk “Last Orders Through the Ages” · audio ~4 min · Generated

Old Bell Tavern, 95 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1DH

Who built the Old Bell Tavern on Fleet Street and why?

Take a look at number ninety five Fleet Street... and step into one of London's most extraordinary drinking stories.......... This is a Grade two listed building dating back to the seventeenth century, and it is claimed that it was built by Sir Christopher Wren for the use of his masons. Think about that for a moment. England's greatest architect... designing a Pub.......... Here's the story. After the Great Fire of sixteen sixty six utterly destroyed Saint Bride's Church, warping its medieval glass and melting its bells, the new vicar, Paul Boston, courageously kept worship going in a makeshift tabernacle in the churchyard. Then in sixteen seventy one, the churchwardens took Mister Christopher Wren to dinner at the Globe Tavern to convince him to rebuild. It worked. And Wren, ever the practical genius, knew his masons needed somewhere to eat, sleep, and... drink. The speed of progress on Saint Bride's was partly ascribed to the fact that the workmen had a hostel right next door... the Old Bell Tavern.......... And here's the clever part. During the day, Wren would pay his stonemasons to toil away at the church. But at night... he'd get all his money back behind the bar!......... The back door of the pub opens directly onto the wall of Saint Bride's Church... very handy for the builders. You can still walk through that rear exit today.......... But the history of This very spot goes back even further than Wren. This site has been linked to the origins of printing in England since around fifteen hundred, when Wynkyn de Worde, apprentice to William Caxton and known as the Father of Fleet Street, operated one of the earliest printing presses right here. He was a prolific printer, bringing over eight hundred works to the public across a whole variety of topics. So before this was a pub... it was a Printing House.......... And speaking of Saint Bride's next door... you know the tiered wedding cake? Legend has it that towards the end of the eighteenth century, an apprentice baker named William Rich, who worked at nearby three Ludgate Hill, fell in love with his boss's daughter. To impress her, he made an elaborate cake for his wedding. Looking around for inspiration, he caught sight of the nearby steeple... and the rest is history. His bride, Susannah, is buried at Saint Bride's, and the church still has a dress that once belonged to her in their archive.......... By the eighteenth century, as Fleet Street solidified its role as the epicenter of British journalism, the Old Bell became a key gathering spot for compositors, editors, and reporters. The pub's proximity to Saint Bride's Church, often called the Journalists' Church, reinforced its status as a social hub. The giant printing presses were housed in cavernous basements, some going down three floors deep, and the whole street would Vibrate when the presses ran in the evening. Imagine standing here with your pint... feeling the floor hum beneath your feet.......... So raise a glass. This tavern has been licensed for more than three hundred years. From stonemasons to printers, from ink-stained journalists to you... the Old Bell keeps pouring.

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