Holborn · Camden
Ye Olde Mitre
The secret pub tucked down an alley almost no one finds
- Address1 Ely Court, Ely Place, Holborn, London, EC1N 6SJ
- Phone020 7405 4751
- Websiteyeoldemitreholborn.co.uk
- OwnershipPart of Fuller's
About Ye Olde Mitre
A tiny eighteenth-century pub hidden in an alley between Hatton Garden and Ely Place, tied to the former London residence of the Bishops of Ely.
Historic England dates its construction to around 1773, though the pub itself claims an origin in 1546, said to have been built for the servants of the Bishop of Ely, whose palace occupied the neighbouring plot. Local legend holds that Queen Elizabeth I danced around a cherry tree that survives today, built into the trunk of one of the bar's wooden columns. Because the land belonged to the diocese of Ely for centuries, it was technically considered part of Cambridgeshire until the twentieth century, a detail that remains part of its mythology. It now belongs to the Fuller's brewery and is Grade II listed, with an intimate two-room dark-wood interior that has barely changed in decades. Finding it — through a discreet archway off Ely Place — is part of the experience.
On tap
A wide selection of craft beers and real ales, including rotating guest ales and traditional cider.
Food
Home-made snacks and toasted sandwiches, with seasonal ingredients.
More pubs in Holborn
- Cittie of YorkeA Gothic nave of beer beside the Inns of Court
- Princess LouiseThe best-preserved Victorian interior in all of London