The Haunted Pubs of Old London: Small Group Tour

London’s ghosts prefer a good pub. This three-hour walk through Barbican, Smithfield, and the City of London mixes grim tales with real places, old churches, and atmospheric drinking spots. I especially like the small group limit of 14 and the way the tour reaches places many people miss, including Charterhouse and St. Bartholomew the Great. The main caution is that this is not a fast pub crawl. It is a history walk with drinks, and a guide who loves to talk can sometimes run beyond the planned schedule.

I also like the first half-pint included at the Sutton Arms, plus the chance to see film locations from Skyfall, Shakespeare in Love, Sherlock Holmes, and more. Arthur, often praised for his storytelling and wide knowledge of London, adds personal recommendations and extra context. Still, you will pay for additional drinks, and one account of the tour found the pace too loose and missed the final pub.

Key points to know before you go

• Three hours through old Smithfield: The route links Barbican, Charterhouse, ancient churches, execution sites, and several historic pubs.
• A genuinely small group: The maximum is 14 people, making it easier to ask questions and hear the guide clearly.
• One drink included: You receive a half-pint of beer, or an equivalent soft drink, at the Sutton Arms.
• Two more pub drinks cost extra: Bring roughly £2.50 to £6.50 for each drink you choose at the other pubs.
• Sunday plans change: The Sutton Arms and Viaduct Tavern are viewed from outside, with drinks at the Fox & Anchor and Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese instead.
• Best for history with a spooky edge: The tour gives as much attention to plague, executions, churches, and old buildings as it does to ghosts.

Why this feels different from a standard London pub tour

Many London pub walks focus on beer, architecture, or famous writers. This one links the drink stops to the darker corners of the City, where plague victims, executed criminals, monks, resurrection men, and supposed ghosts all have a place in the story.

I like that the route does not treat the supernatural tales as the only attraction. You will hear about Roman London, the Black Death, Newgate Prison, monastic life, medieval punishment, and the development of Smithfield. The ghost stories add atmosphere, but the documented past gives the walk its weight.

The group size matters here. With no more than 14 people, you should have a better chance of hearing the guide in narrow streets and asking about details that catch your attention. Arthur is praised for answering questions and for adding wider comments about London and English society rather than simply reciting a script.

That strength can also create the tour’s main weakness. Arthur’s enthusiasm may lead to longer explanations, and one participant left before the final stop because the schedule had slipped. If you want every pub visit completed on time, tell the guide early that you need to finish promptly.

Starting beneath the Barbican at 2:30 pm

The meeting point is Underground Ltd on Aldersgate Street, near Barbican, London EC1A 4JA. The start time is 2:30 pm, and the area is close to public transportation, which makes it fairly simple to reach from other parts of London.

The opening story covers the Barbican from Roman times to the present. You will also hear about a secret beneath its walls. That gives the tour a useful beginning because it places the ghost stories inside a much older setting. The Barbican is not just a modern arts complex. It occupies a part of London shaped by Roman settlement, medieval change, wartime destruction, and later rebuilding.

You should arrive ready to walk. The route includes many short stops, but the experience is still a three-hour urban walk. Comfortable shoes are a smart choice, and weather protection matters because much of the storytelling takes place outdoors.

Sutton Arms and the first half-pint

The Sutton Arms is the first pub stop, and this is where the drink included in the price matters. You can choose a half-pint of beer, or an equivalent soft drink, at no extra charge.

The scheduled pub visit lasts about 40 minutes, so this is more than a quick doorway stop. It gives the group time to settle in, hear the pub’s story, and meet the other people on the walk. Several people praised the atmosphere of the old pubs and the social side of sharing the experience with fellow history fans.

On Sundays, the plan changes. The group views the Sutton Arms from outside and has a drink at the Fox & Anchor instead. That is important if you are choosing the tour mainly for its interior pub visits. The included-drink arrangement may also differ in practical form, so check the day’s plan when booking.

Charterhouse Square and the Black Death

The walk continues to Charterhouse Square, where the focus turns to the Black Death and its devastating effect on medieval London. This is a 20-minute outdoor stop, with no admission charge.

The value here is the setting. Instead of hearing about plague in a museum room, you are standing in one of the old areas shaped by that catastrophe. The subject is grim, but it helps explain why so many London ghost stories are tied to burial grounds, hospitals, religious houses, and crowded medieval streets.

The tour then reaches a beautiful Art Deco building that once served as the residence of Hercule Poirot. The information provided does not give this stop a separate admission or duration, but it adds a welcome change of mood. The route is not locked into one period of history. It moves from Roman and medieval London to the early twentieth century and popular detective fiction.

Charterhouse and the fate of its monks

The Charterhouse is one of the route’s most important historical stops. It is London’s last surviving monastic building, and the guide tells the story of the gruesome fate suffered by its monks.

The scheduled visit lasts about 10 minutes and admission is free. That may sound brief, but the stop works well as part of a moving walk. You are not spending the whole afternoon inside one attraction. Instead, you get a focused story, a look at the building, and then continue through the surrounding streets.

I would pay close attention here if you enjoy religious history or stories about the English Reformation. The monks’ fate gives the tour a darker political side, rather than relying only on tales of apparitions and unexplained sounds.

Cloth Fair, Bartholomew Fair, and London’s oldest house

Cloth Fair is a compact stop with several striking stories packed into about 10 minutes. The street was once associated with the notorious Bartholomew Fair, and it also has links to the pub where condemned criminals received their last pints before execution.

The area is also home to London’s oldest house. That detail alone makes the short stop worthwhile, especially if you enjoy old urban buildings that are easy to miss while moving between major sights.

This is one of the places where the tour earns its small-group format. A narrow historic street is better experienced with a guide who can point out details than by passing through with a map. You may not spend long at Cloth Fair, but the stories help you see why the street matters.

St. Bartholomew the Great and its film locations

St. Bartholomew the Great is London’s oldest surviving parish church. Admission is free, though donations are welcome, and the scheduled visit lasts about 20 minutes.

The church is linked to the ghost of its founder, Rahere. It has also appeared in a long list of films, including Four Weddings and a Funeral, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Shakespeare in Love, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The Other Boleyn Girl, Sherlock Holmes, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Transformers: The Last Knight.

I like this stop because it brings together architecture, religious history, folklore, and cinema. If you have seen Shakespeare in Love or one of the other films, you may recognize the setting. If not, the church still gives the walk one of its strongest visual moments.

The church is not treated as a quick photo stop. The guide’s role is to explain the place and its stories. Take time to look at the details around you, and consider carrying a small donation for the church.

The Rising Sun and the Resurrection Men

The Rising Sun is one of the tour’s major pub stops. It is associated with the Resurrection Men, the people who obtained human bodies for dissection and medical study.

The visit lasts about 30 minutes. A drink is expected, but it is not included in the tour price. You will need to buy your own beverage, with drinks across the pub stops generally costing about £2.50 to £6.50.

This is a good example of the tour’s tone. The subject is unsettling, but it connects directly to the growth of medical science and the way the law treated the dead. The story is not just a ghost tale. It raises questions about poverty, anatomy, crime, and the demand for bodies in earlier London.

If you do not drink alcohol, the tour information allows for soft drinks at the included first stop, and the additional pub purchases are described as beverages of your choice. Still, budget for something at the Rising Sun.

Smithfield Market and centuries of public punishment

The group visits Smithfield Market from outside its operating hours. The market’s story reaches back more than a thousand years, and the area was also one of London’s major execution sites.

Here you hear about traitors who were hanged, drawn, and quartered, heretics burned at the stake, and poisoners boiled alive. It is hard material, but it explains why this part of London carries such a strong sense of the past. Smithfield was not only a place for trade. It was also a public stage for punishment and spectacle.

The stop lasts about 10 minutes and costs nothing. It is a useful outdoor pause between pub interiors and churches. I would expect this section to appeal most to people who want the social history of London, not only supernatural claims.

Three Bartholomew sites in quick succession

The route then links three places that are easy to confuse but rewarding to see together.

St. Bartholomew the Less is a small and beautiful church, with about five minutes set aside for the visit. Its modest size provides a contrast with St. Bartholomew the Great.

Next comes the Baroque courtyard of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, England’s oldest hospital. The courtyard is associated with three different ghosts, and the stop also lasts about five minutes. The short timing means you should listen closely, since the guide may need to cover the key points quickly.

Cock Lane follows, another five-minute stop. You hear stories from this historic lane, including the ghost known as Scratching Fanny. These brief stops show the benefit of the route’s design. You are continually moving through the places connected to the tales, rather than hearing every story in one pub.

Old Bailey, Newgate Prison, and the Viaduct Tavern

Near the end, the walk reaches the Old Bailey. The guide explains how it emerged from the ruins of Newgate Prison and tells the story of the Black Dog of Newgate.

The final named pub is the Viaduct Tavern, often considered one of London’s most haunted pubs. It was built on the ruins of Newgate Prison, giving the last stop a strong connection to the prison stories heard moments earlier.

The visit lasts about 25 minutes, and you buy your own drink. On Sundays, the Viaduct Tavern is viewed from outside, and the group instead has a drink at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese on Fleet Street.

The scheduling issue matters here. The complete route is advertised at about three hours, but the many stories can stretch the day. I would avoid making a tight dinner reservation immediately afterward. If reaching the final pub is important to you, mention it at the start and keep an eye on the time.

What the $102.83 price really covers

At $102.83 per person, this is not cheap if you compare it with a self-guided walk around Smithfield. You can see many streets and churches without paying admission, and you will still need to buy drinks at the Rising Sun and Viaduct Tavern.

The price makes more sense if you value the guide’s storytelling, route planning, and access to a small group. You are paying for a three-hour experience that joins locations most people would not naturally connect. The first half-pint also reduces the extra cost slightly.

The tour is best value for someone who would otherwise spend hours researching London’s darker history and finding these sites independently. It is less attractive if your main goal is simply to visit as many pubs as possible. The history content is the heart of the experience.

Group discounts are available, and confirmation arrives within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability. The tour requires a minimum number of people, so a cancellation for that reason results in a choice of another date or experience, or a full refund.

Who should book this walk

I would choose this tour if you like London history with an eerie edge, enjoy old pubs, and prefer smaller groups. It suits couples, friends, and solo visitors who want an easy way to meet people with similar interests.

It also suits anyone who thinks they have already seen central London. The route explores Barbican, Charterhouse, Smithfield, and the Bartholomew sites, areas that can sit outside a first-time sightseeing plan. One local participant even discovered places near work that they had never entered before.

You should think twice if you want a polished, tightly timed production with a ghost story at every stop. The route includes plenty of history that is not supernatural, and Arthur’s habit of expanding on subjects can make the walk feel informal. That is a benefit for curious people, but a drawback for anyone who prefers strict timing.

Wear comfortable shoes and bring suitable weather gear. Most people can take part, and the meeting point is near public transportation, but the experience remains an outdoor walking tour with several standing stops.

Should you book The Haunted Pubs of Old London?

I would book it for the stories, churches, and lesser-seen streets, not just the beer. The strongest parts are the small group, the unusual Smithfield route, the Bartholomew churches, and Arthur’s ability to connect a pub doorway with centuries of London history.

Book well ahead if your dates are fixed, since the tour is often reserved about 42 days in advance. You can cancel for a full refund up to 24 hours before the start time. Within 24 hours, cancellations and changes are not accepted for a refund.

If you want a relaxed history walk with a few drinks and a macabre thread running through it, this is a very good choice. If you want a short, tightly controlled pub crawl, choose something else.

FAQ

How long does The Haunted Pubs of Old London tour last?

The tour lasts approximately three hours.

What time does the tour start?

The tour starts at 2:30 pm.

Where does the tour begin?

It begins at Underground Ltd on Aldersgate Street, Barbican, London EC1A 4JA, UK.

Where does the tour end?

The experience ends at a different location from the starting point, near the final pub portion of the route.

How many people can join the tour?

The maximum group size is 14 people.

Is a drink included in the price?

A half-pint of beer of your choice, or an equivalent soft drink, is included at the Sutton Arms. Drinks at the other pubs are not included and generally cost about £2.50 to £6.50.

What happens on Sundays?

On Sundays, the Sutton Arms and Viaduct Tavern are visited from outside. The group has a drink at the Fox & Anchor instead of the Sutton Arms, and at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese instead of the Viaduct Tavern.

Can I cancel for a refund?

You can cancel at least 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. Cancellations or changes made within 24 hours are not accepted for a refund.