One for the road

66 Bayswater Road, London, UK

Where condemned felons got their final drink on the way to the the place of public execution

This historic pub is reputed to have been the final drinking place for the victims of the Gibbet at Tyburn Gallows, now known as Marble Arch. Notorious highwayman Claude Duval, active on the London to Uxbridge road, is also alleged to have had his final drink in our pub before being hanged at Tyburn in 1670. 


Indeed, it has been suggested that the terms “one for the road” and “on the wagon” were first coined here under such circumstances. The local jailer would often draw up with the prisoner’s cage outside and request “one for the road” - a final beer for the prisoner. After the horses had pulled them away, men at the bar would say, ”he's on the wagon” - alluding to the fact that the prisoner would never drink again…

Follow us on social media

More stories from Editors’ picks

The car killing skyscraper

20 Fenchurch St., London, UK

Now it’s safe to park here, but in September 2013 it wasn’t

Forest Opera Theatre

Stanisława Moniuszki 12, 81-829 Sopot, Poland

The Communist “Eurovision” Arena

Pionen civil defence bunker

Renstiernas gata 37, 116 31 Stockholm, Sweden

Underground bunker and one of the most advanced computer centers in the world

The Simpsons House

712 Red Bark Lane, Henderson, Nevada, USA