Gin Joint: The Ship Tavern

The Ship Tavern
12 Gate Street, Holborn
London, WC2A 3HP
020 7405 1992

For a trip around the world without leaving your seat, head to The Ship Tavern in London’s borough of Holborn. 

This beautiful pub – with its candle-lit mahogany-panelled walls and Tudor-style windows – is as historic as it looks. In fact, it’s been standing since 1549, when Catholics would hold secret meetings in its cosy warren of rooms while the Protestant reformation raged around them. 

While an evening at the Ship is a more casual affair these days, there’s still plenty of Tudor charm to go around.

A palate of rich red and dark wood makes this the perfect pub to see you through the colder months, peeking out the first floor windows at the hustle and bustle of High Holborn. But the heave of the city centre won’t bother you here; tucked into one of the twisting lanes that can’t help but evoke a London long gone by, this Dickensian escape is an oasis from the modern world.

With a gin cabinet stocked with 60 amazing gins and a food menu bursting with pub favourites, this beautiful pub boasts plenty of British bona fides. But, having stood through the age of exploration and Queen Victoria’s Empire, there’s a lot here to discover, too. Curl up by the open fireplace and work your way through this tavern’s spectacular selection of spirits.

The gin cabinet at The Ship Tavern is a well-curated affaire that spans the globe, from the savannahs of Africa to the mountains of Germany, the beaches of Wales to the gleaming metropolises of the United States of America.

Regular events celebrate the breadth of this beautiful selection, which features many a Craft Gin Club favourite. And if you find yourself flagging, there’s the option to take a pint of your favourite gin and tonic to take away. 

But anyone would be hard-pressed to part from the warmth and candlelight of the first-floor dining space, referred to affectionately as the Oak Room.

With a seasonally-changing menu and daily market specials, it’s all too easy to spend a long, lazy afternoon or evening in the comfort of this enclave, with a plate of perfectly cooked British fare before you and a G&T or two for dessert (if you can pass up the sticky toffee pudding or plate of British cheeses, that is).