One of the oldest pubs in London, The Spaniards has a few stories to tell. It was built in 1585 as a tollgate on the Finchley boundary and named after the Spanish Ambassador to James I of England. Charles Dickens and John Keats were among its well-known visitors. Dickens immortalized the pub in “The Pickwick Papers”. And Keats (allegedly) penned “Ode to a Nightingale” here. The Spaniards Inn also got a shout-out in Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”. Rumor has it that highwayman, poacher, burglar, horse thief and killer Dick Turpin was born here. Ask the bar staff for ghost stories!
Photo: © The Spaniards Inn 2022
