A well-hidden pub
A pub that is so difficult to find, is closed at weekends, and yet has stayed in business for centuries must have something special. To discover its secret, turn left from Holborn Circus into Hatton Garden and look out for a narrow passage by the fifth building on the right. Or pass through the gates at the end of Ely Place and turn left into the passage. In front of a façade of wood and bull’s-eye window panes, the sign »Ye Olde Mitre« depicts a bishop’s hat and names the year 1546, when a tavern first started to serve beer on the grounds of a bishop’s palace.
The present building dates from 1773. Its furnishings of wooden panelling, bench seats around the walls and spacious armchairs are a mere 80 years old, but convincingly create the atmosphere of an ancient tavern, especially after a pint or two: the Mitre is known for the good quality of its ales, which are drawn from hand pumps at the bar between two of the lounges. In the back room, water jugs hang from the ceiling and wall lights provide subdued illumination. The front room has a fireplace and a real historical curiosity: the trunk of a cherry tree that once marked the property boundary. According to tradition, Queen Elizabeth I danced around this tree with her court favourite, Sir Christopher Hatton. Whether this really happened or not, it is known that Elizabeth put pressure on the Bishop of Ely to sell part of the palace to Hatton, and liked to visit her courtier there.
Info
Address 1 Ely Court, Ely Place, EC1N 6SJ | Public Transport Chancery Lane (Central Line) | Hours Mon–Fri 11am–11pm| Tip St Etheldreda’s (open Mon–Sat 8am–5pm, Sun 8am–12.30pm) on Ely Place was built in around 1290. It has been a Roman Catholic church since restoration in 1873, and gained new stained-glass windows in the 1950s following war damage.
The only remaining part of the palace is its chapel, St Etheldreda on Ely Place. The gates and guardhouse at the end of this private road are a reminder that it belonged to a closed precinct under the bishops’ jurisdiction. The entrance to Ye Olde Mitre harks back to London’s past, when the city was a warren of dark alleys and hidden courtyards. Good beer, filling pies and loyal customers ensure that it will also be part of London’s future.
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