Ye Olde Watling LCCOLSPYOW15729

St. Paul’s Ye Olde Watling LCCOLSPYOW15729

Ye Olde Watling St. Paul’s

• Watling Street • Great Fire of London

• Rebuilt 1668

• Sir Christopher Wren • Builders (St. Paul’s Cathedral)

Copyright © 2020 The Great British Pub Crawl Company All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of The Great British Pub Crawl Company, except in the case of uses permitted by copyright law.

St. Paul’s Ye Olde Watling LCCOLSPYOW15729

Wheelchair Access on Ground Floor Disabled Toilets  

Storyi Ye Olde Watling takes its name from Watling Street the name of the ancient road on which it is built.

Watling Street

Watling Street is a historic route in England that crosses the River Thames at London and which was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the Middle Ages. It was used by the ancient Britons and paved as one of the main Roman roads in Roman- governed Britain during the Roman Empire. The route linked Dover and London in the southeast with St Albans and Wroxeter to the northwest. Watling Street was the traditional site of the Roman Defeat of Boudica, the line of the road was later the southwestern border of the Danelaw with Wessex and Mercia, and Watling Street was numbered as one of the major highways of medieval England.

First used by the ancient Britons, mainly between the areas of modern Canterbury and St Albans using a natural ford near Westminster, the Romans later paved the route, which then connected then ports of Dubris (Dover), Rutupiae (Richborough), Lemanis (Lympne), and Regulbium (Reculver) in Kent to the Roman bridge over the Thames at Londinium (London). The route continued northwest through Verulamium (St Albans) on its way to Viroconium Cornoviorum (Wroxeter).

In the early 19th century, the course between London and the Channel was paved and became known as the Great Dover Road: today, the route from Dover to London forms part of the A2 road. The route from London to Wroxeter forms much of the A5 road. At various points along the historic route, the name Watling Street remains in use.

A section of Watling Street still exists in the City of London close to Mansion House underground station on the route of the original Roman road which traversed the River Thames via the first London Bridge and ran through the City in a straight line from London Bridge to Newgate. The other sections of the road in Central London possess a variety of names, including Edgware Road and Maida Vale.1

It seems that there had been a pub on this site for some years prior to 1663, because in that year, three years after Charles II had been restored to the throne of England, the existing pub was itself restored.

1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watling_Street [extracted 17/11/2020] Copyright © 2020 The Great British Pub Crawl Company All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of The Great British Pub Crawl Company, except in the case of uses permitted by copyright law.

St. Paul’s Ye Olde Watling LCCOLSPYOW15729

Sadly, this restoration did not last as long as the monarchy’s, for just three years later, in September 1666, the newly restored pub was destroyed in the Great Fire of London, along with a great many others.

Great Fire of London (2 - 6 September 1666)

The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of London from Sunday, 2 September to Thursday, 6 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman city wall. It threatened but did not reach the City of Westminster (today's West End), Charles II's Palace of Whitehall, or most of the suburban slums. It destroyed 13,200 houses, 87 parish churches, St Paul's Cathedral, and most of the buildings of the City authorities. It is estimated to have destroyed the homes of 70,000 of the City's 80,000 inhabitants.

The fire started in a bakery shortly after midnight on Sunday, 2 September, and spread rapidly. The use of the major firefighting technique of the time, the creation of firebreaks by means of demolition, was critically delayed due to the indecisiveness of the Lord Mayor, Sir Thomas Bloodworth. By the time large-scale demolitions were ordered on Sunday night, the wind had already fanned the bakery fire into a firestorm which defeated such measures. The fire pushed north on Monday into the heart of the City. Order in the streets broke down as rumours arose of suspicious foreigners setting fires. On Tuesday, the fire spread over nearly the whole City, destroying St. Paul's Cathedral and leaping the River Fleet to threaten Charles II's court at Whitehall. The battle to put out the fire is considered to have been won by two key factors: the strong east wind dropped, and the Tower of London garrison used gunpowder to create effective firebreaks, halting further spread eastward.

The death toll is unknown but generally thought to have been relatively small; only six verified deaths were recorded. Some historians have challenged this belief claiming the deaths of poorer citizens were not recorded and that the heat of the fire may have cremated many victims, leaving no recognisable remains. A melted piece of pottery on display at the Museum of London found by archaeologists in Pudding Lane, where the fire started, shows that the temperature reached 1,250 °C (2,280 °F). The social and economic problems created by the disaster were overwhelming. Flight from London and settlement elsewhere were strongly encouraged by Charles II, who feared a London rebellion amongst the dispossessed refugees.

After the fire, London was reconstructed on essentially the same medieval street plan which still exists today.2

2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_London [extracted 17/11/2020] Copyright © 2020 The Great British Pub Crawl Company All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of The Great British Pub Crawl Company, except in the case of uses permitted by copyright law.

St. Paul’s Ye Olde Watling LCCOLSPYOW15729

Writing in January 1668, the diarist Samuel Pepys stated:

‘It is observed and is true, in the late Fire of London, that the fire burned just as many parish churches as there were hours from the beginning to the end of the fire; and next, that there were just as many churches left standing as there were taverns left standing in the rest of the City that was not burned; being, I think, thirteen in all of each; which is pretty to observe.’3

Ye Olde Watling was not one of the lucky 13 mentioned by Pepys, but it was one of the first to be rebuilt after the fire, in the very year that Pepys wrote the above. The story has it that the rapid rebuilding of the pub was down to Sir Christopher Wren, who desperately needed somewhere to house and refresh the workers engaged in rebuilding St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Sir Christopher Wren (30 October 1632 – 8 March 1723)

Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including what is regarded as his masterpiece, St Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710.

Wren had been involved in repairs of the old cathedral since 1661. In the spring of 1666, he made his first design for a dome for St Paul's. It was accepted in principle on 27 August 1666. One week later, however, the Great Fire of London reduced two-thirds of the City to a smoking desert and old St Paul's to a ruin. Wren was most likely at Oxford at the time, but the news drew him at once to London. Between 5 and 11 September he ascertained the precise area of devastation, worked out a plan for rebuilding the City and submitted it to Charles II. Others also submitted plans. However, no new plan proceeded any further than the paper on which it was drawn. In 1669, the King's Surveyor of Works died, and Wren was promptly installed.

The principal creative responsibility for a number of the churches is now more commonly attributed to others in his office, especially Nicholas Hawksmoor. Other notable buildings by Wren include the Royal Hospital Chelsea, Royal Naval College, Greenwich, and the south front of Hampton Court Palace. (The Wren Building, the main building at the College of William and Mary, Virginia, is also attributed to Wren.)

Educated in Latin and Aristotelian physics at the University of Oxford, Wren was a founder of the Royal Society (president 1680–1682), and his scientific work was highly regarded by Isaac Newton and Blaise Pascal.4

3 From Popham, H.E.; The Guide to London Taverns (Claude Stacey Ltd., 1927) 4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Wren [extracted 17/11/2020] Copyright © 2020 The Great British Pub Crawl Company All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of The Great British Pub Crawl Company, except in the case of uses permitted by copyright law.

St. Paul’s Ye Olde Watling LCCOLSPYOW15729

The story also has it that the upstairs rooms at Ye Olde Watling were used as drawing rooms and that it was here that the plans for St. Paul’s Cathedral were actually drawn up, in what is now the pub’s dining area.

The pub is believed to have been rebuilt using old ships’ timbers. However, the timber-framed interior seen today is believed to date mainly from a 1901 refit that was largely sympathetic to the original. And even more modifications were required due to damage sustained in the Blitz during World War II.

These days you are less likely to find the pub full of builders, but it still remains a very popular spot with tradesmen, office workers and tourists. So why not try to find your spot among them and maybe draw up your own big plans, whether for world domination, a radical restructuring, or maybe just your next Great British Pub Crawl.

References to Ye Olde Watling in previous publications include:

The Guide to London Taverns (H.E. Popham, 1927)

‘The Watling in Bow Lane…was one of the first, if not the very first house to be built in the City after the Fire.’

The London Pub (Angus McGill, 1970)

‘The Prospect of Whitby would regard its near-contemporary Ye Olde Watling in Watling Street as a stuck-up Johnny-come-lately. Ye Olde Watling would observe the rumbustious goings on of the Prospect of Whitby with some distaste. It has always been a dignified, superior public house. Bankers and financiers, calling in for a quiet drink on their way home, do not care for spirited renderings of Nellie Dean and such a thing would be unthinkable at Ye Olde Watling. ‘It had just been restored in 1663 when it had the great ill luck to be badly singed by the Great Fire. So, it had to be restored all over again. But it has survived every subsequent danger – and there have been many. The greatest of these, of course, was the second world war Blitz, which devastated the city and destroyed many ancient and beautiful buildings. Ye Olde Watling came through unharmed. It remains a handsome and dignified old pub which works hard during the day and which would be pleased to see you any time during opening hours. But it is well to remember that it goes to bed early nowadays. It closes its old doors at 9:30 p.m.’

The English Pub (Michael Jackson, 1976)

‘Near St. Paul’s is the Watling, built in 1662 and restored this century, where the Society for the Preservation of Beers from the Wood was founded.’

St. Paul’s Ye Olde Watling LCCOLSPYOW15729

Sources: - www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk/restaurants/london/yeoldewatlingwatlingstreetlondon - whatpub.com/pubs/ELC/14955/olde-watling-london - londonspubswherehistoryreallyhappened.wordpress.com/2017/07/31/ye-olde-watling - www.citypubs.co.uk/pubs/yeoldewatling - www.fancyapint.com/Pub/london/ye-olde-watling/198 - https://www.designmynight.com/london/pubs/city-of-london/ye-olde-watling - Wikipedia o https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watling_Street o https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_London o https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Wren - Popham, H.E.; The Guide to London Taverns (Claude Stacey Ltd., London, 1927) - McGill, Angus; The London Pub (Fabbri & Partners, London, 1970) - Jackson, Michael; The English Pub (Quarto Publishing, London, 1976)

(Icons: Great Fire of London by HeadsOfBirds from the Noun Project / Roman helmet & Trowel by FreePik / Ruler&Pencil by HiClipArt)

i Please Note. We make every effort to ensure that the information provided is correct at the time of writing. Should you discover anything to be incorrect, please let us know so that we can investigate and amend as required.