Bloomsbury · Camden
The Lamb
The neighbourhood pub where Dickens and Bloomsbury's poets drank
- Address94 Lamb's Conduit Street, Bloomsbury, London, WC1N 3LZ
- Phone020 7405 0713
- Websitethelamblondon.com
- OwnershipPart of Young's
About The Lamb
A Georgian pub on a pedestrian street with original Victorian screens and a strong literary pedigree, from Dickens to Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath.
The building dates from the 1720s and takes its name from William Lamb, a benefactor who funded repairs to Holborn's water conduit in 1577. It was refitted inside during the Victorian era, and keeps rare revolving 'snob screens' of glass that let customers order without being seen by the bar staff. Charles Dickens, who lived nearby, is counted among its historic regulars, and more than a century later the poet Ted Hughes brought Sylvia Plath here in the early days of their relationship. It's a Grade II listed building and remains the social anchor of Lamb's Conduit Street, one of Bloomsbury's most charming pedestrian streets. It belongs to the family brewery Young's, which keeps the neighbourhood-pub atmosphere despite the pub's popularity.
On tap
Well-kept beers and real ales with rotating guest lines, classic cocktails and a wine list drawn from around the world.
Food
Traditional British cooking — scotch eggs and home-made sausages, pies, fish and chips — with a popular Sunday roast.
More pubs in Bloomsbury
- Museum TavernAcross from the British Museum, where Karl Marx took a break to write Das Kapital
- Queen's LarderThe tiny pub that once stored a queen's pantry
- The SwanA one-room Bloomsbury local on a traffic-free lane