Here's the picture of a pub in the centre of LONDON called the Cross Keys. It's a pleasant pub, lovely interior which takes you back to ye olde days when pubs were low-lit, musty, but also enjoyable venues. According to some friends of mine who love Beer, the beer selection is actually poor but those they do stock are reasonable enough. There are superb sandwiches, though. There is some interesting pop memorabilia on the walls. An attractive painted façade is almost hidden behind baskets and pots of tumbling foliage. The unusual pub sign shows cherubs holding the crossed keys of Saint Peter, keeper of the gates to Heaven. Pub names often have religious connections. This architecturally unusual pub was built in the mid 19th. Century and is grade II listed.
You can go there for just a nice calm surrounding away from the madness of Covent Garden. Now the address: 31 Endell Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9BA. If you go there don't forget to post a comment on this Blog.
2 comments:
This pub probably got its name during the time of Henry VIII. In 12th Century, many pubs took religious names to show they catered to pilgrims and crusaders and this may once have been called the St Peter. The pictorial signs advertised the pub to the largely illiterate population and were inspired by pictures of saints, angels etc in stained glass windows. When Henry VIII broke from the Catholic faith and set up the new church of England, pubs quickly abandoned religious names for something less obvious. St Peter (who held the keys to the gates of Heaven) became the Crossed Keys in many cases. Pub name history is a fascinating subject, the signs forming a pictorial history of Britain from Roman times to the present day. Check out your "local" which might have a dark or illustrious history!
Elaine Saunders
Author: A Book About Pub Names
Thanks Elaine for your thrilling explanation. I'll surely pay a visit to your Website.
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