Dick Turpin, Lord Byron, John Keats, and Bram Stoker all passed through the same low door. The Spaniards Inn is one of the most storied buildings in London.
The Spaniards Inn on the edge of Hampstead Heath is one of London's oldest pubs, with a history stretching back over four centuries and a wealth of literary and legendary associations. From its mysterious Spanish origins to highwaymen, riots, and the writers who drank here, this is the remarkable history of the Spaniards Inn.
- The Spaniards Inn dates to around 1585, one of London's oldest pubs
- The origin of its Spanish name is debated and intriguing
- Linked to the highwayman Dick Turpin by legend
- A literary haunt of Keats, Byron, Dickens, and others
- The landlord famously delayed a mob during the 1780 Gordon Riots
- Visit today: see the complete Spaniards Inn guide
Origins: A Pub of Mystery
The Spaniards Inn has stood on Spaniards Road, at the northern edge of Hampstead Heath, since around 1585, during the reign of Elizabeth I. This makes it one of the oldest surviving pubs in London, a building that has witnessed more than four centuries of the city's history.
The Spanish Name
The origin of the inn's distinctive name is the subject of several theories, none definitively proven:
- One tradition holds that it was named after a Spanish ambassador to the court of James I, who is said to have lived here.
- Another suggests it was run by two Spanish brothers in the 18th century, who supposedly killed each other in a duel over a woman.
- A further theory links the name to a Spanish landlord or to Spanish connections during the building's early history.
The truth is lost to history, but the mystery only adds to the inn's romantic appeal. What is certain is that the name has endured for centuries, marking the inn out as one of Hampstead's most intriguing landmarks.
The Highwayman Connection
Like many old coaching inns on the roads leading out of London, the Spaniards is linked to highwaymen, and most famously to Dick Turpin, the notorious 18th-century highwayman. Legend variously claims that Turpin's father was landlord of the inn, that Turpin himself was born here, or that he used the Spaniards as a base from which to waylay travellers on the road north.
As with much of the Turpin mythology, the details are hazy and probably embellished, but the association is part of the inn's folklore. The road past the Spaniards was indeed a route where highwaymen operated, preying on travellers and coaches crossing the lonely heath, so the legend, if not literally true, reflects a real history of danger on this road.
James Fletcher, a local who has drunk at the Spaniards for forty years, relishes its history. "Every time I sit by that fire I think about who's been here before me," he said. "Keats, supposedly. Dickens, definitely, he put it in Pickwick Papers. Dick Turpin, if you believe the stories. A four-hundred-year-old pub on the edge of the heath where highwaymen once lurked. And it's not a theme park, it's a real pub with real fires and real ale. The history isn't behind glass; you're sitting in it. There's nowhere else quite like it."
The Gordon Riots of 1780
One of the best-documented episodes in the Spaniards' history is its role in the Gordon Riots of 1780. As anti-Catholic mobs rampaged through London, a crowd of rioters set out to attack nearby Kenwood House, home of Lord Mansfield, a hated figure among the rioters.
According to the well-told story, the landlord of the Spaniards Inn cunningly delayed the mob by throwing open his cellars and plying the rioters with free drink. As the rioters caroused, soldiers were summoned, and by the time the drunken mob was ready to continue, the troops had arrived to disperse them, and Kenwood House was saved. Whether wholly accurate or embellished over the years, it is a story the inn wears with pride, and a vivid glimpse of a turbulent moment in London's history.
A Literary Haunt
The Spaniards Inn has genuine literary credentials, having featured in the lives and works of some of England's greatest writers:
- John Keats, who wrote his great odes nearby, is said to have drunk here. Some traditions link the inn to the nightingale that inspired his famous ode.
- Lord Byron is associated with the inn.
- Charles Dickens mentioned the Spaniards in The Pickwick Papers.
- Bram Stoker referenced it in Dracula.
For a single pub to feature in such a roll-call of literary figures speaks to its long-standing place in London's cultural life, and to Hampstead's broader role as a haven for writers, explored in the guide to literary Hampstead.
The Inn Through the Centuries
Over four centuries, the Spaniards has survived as London grew up around it and the heath was saved from development. It has remained, throughout, a working pub, serving travellers, locals, walkers, and visitors across the generations. Its survival is itself remarkable: a Tudor-era building, still functioning as the pub it has always been, on the edge of one of London's great green spaces.
The old tollhouse opposite the inn, which famously narrows the road, is another survival from the coaching era, and the cause of the traffic pinch-point that drivers still navigate today.
Visiting the Spaniards Today
The Spaniards Inn remains a thriving pub, combining its rich history with log fires, a celebrated garden, and an excellent kitchen. It is the perfect end to a walk on Hampstead Heath. For full details on visiting, the food, the garden, opening times, and how to combine it with a Heath walk, see the complete Spaniards Inn guide.
Practical Information
- Address: Spaniards Road, Hampstead, NW3 (northern edge of the Heath)
- History: Dating to c.1585, one of London's oldest pubs
- Famous for: Literary associations, the Dick Turpin legend, the Gordon Riots story
- Today: A thriving historic pub with fires, garden, and good food
- Getting there: A walk across the Heath, or buses along Spaniards Road; nearest Tubes Hampstead and Golders Green
The history of the Spaniards Inn is the history of Hampstead in miniature, Tudor origins, coaching-era highwaymen, Georgian riots, literary fame, and survival through the centuries as London grew around it. To drink here today, by the fire under four-hundred-year-old beams, is to sit within that history. For lovers of London's past, the Spaniards is not just a pub but a living monument, and one that still pours an excellent pint. Plan your visit with the complete guide.
