Hampstead · Camden
The Holly Bush
A gas lamp burning high above Hampstead
- Address22 Holly Mount, Hampstead, London, NW3 6SG
- Phone020 7435 2892
- Websitehollybushhampstead.co.uk
- OwnershipPart of Fuller's (Fuller, Smith & Turner)
About The Holly Bush
A Victorian pub tucked into a cobbled alley above Hampstead, with gas-and-wood interiors almost untouched since the nineteenth century.
Originally built as a stable block in the late eighteenth century and converted into a tavern around 1800, the Holly Bush keeps one of London's best-preserved Victorian interiors, with dark wood panelling, gas lighting and a coal fire that rarely goes out. The painter George Romney is said to have lived nearby and used the building as a stable before it became a pub. Now belonging to the Fuller's brewery group, which acquired it in 2010, it keeps the feel of a village parlour despite sitting minutes from the bustle of Hampstead High Street. Its small, uneven-floored rooms, with barely any visible electric light, make it a required stop for anyone after classic tavern England. It's Grade II listed and regularly appears on lists of London's most characterful pubs.
On tap
Rotating Fuller's casks such as London Pride and ESB, plus a wine list and seasonal guest ales.
Food
Comforting British pub cooking, with pies, Sunday roasts and seasonal dishes.
More pubs in Hampstead
- The FlaskThe pocket-sized classic of Flask Walk
- The Freemasons ArmsThe pub with a garden and an English skittles alley
- The King William IVThe old coaching inn that became Hampstead's gay temple