CHE L SE A
C H EER
Famous Chelsea
pub-goers then & now
Kate and Pippa Middleton . Dr Johnson . Oscar Wilde
Whistler . Dylan Thomas . Mick Jagger . George Best
Hugh Grant . Bob Geldof . Terry Venables . Bernie Ecclestone
John Betjeman . Dirk Bogarde . Lily Allen
Francis Bacon . John Simpson
mid-Victorian working man’s pub, it was built in 1864, about the same
time as the Embankment was developed and Chelsea boomed. In 1990,
it became a Young’s pub and now it is a very popular local, serving
traditional British ales and comfort food to its regulars, who include the
famous scarlet-coated Chelsea Pensioners from nearby Royal Hospital.
The late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher lived just down the road and
locals still remember Denis Thatcher popping in for a drink every now
and then.
Tucked away in a pretty side street of traditional Chelsea
cottages is The Surprise. Many think the name comes from its surprising
location in the middle of a residential enclave; it's actually the name of the
British ship that took Napoleon's body back to France in 1820. Like many
Chelsea pubs, it has added a restaurant that serves lunch and dinner to a
grateful local crowd of tweed jacketed men reading The Times and rosecheeked ladies who look as if they’ve just been pruning in the garden.
Regulars keep their own tankards at the bar, which is all part of the sleepy
charm of this delightful neighbourhood pub where dogs roam in and out
in search of their owners, and the outside benches in the summer
afternoons are popular for post-prandial naps.
From dusk ‘till late, The Anglesea Arms is heaving with Chelsea
locals of all ages who have flocked to this ridiculously popular pub on
Selwood Terrace since it first opened in 1830. The writer Charles Dickens
lived nearby and legend has it that he ducked in for a pint on occasions
when plagued with writer’s block. The pub champions real ales and traditional
comforts, like deep armchairs, cosy sofas and an open fire. Regulars mourn
the loss of the ‘Cubby’, the snug little bar downstairs that saw many a
romance blossom, which is now a handsome restaurant. Friendly, fun and
always busy, this is a great pub for watching the Chelsea set at play.
In 1982, The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook by the then
society magazine Harpers & Queen Style Editor Peter York, created a
sensation. Not since the Swinging Sixties had Chelsea been put under
such limelight. The eponymous ‘Sloane Rangers’ were the upper crust
gilded youth of SW3 and their heroine was Diana, the soon to be Princess
of Wales, who lived in Chelsea at Coleherne Court. The book outed The
Admiral Codrington, known to locals as the ‘Cod’, as the epicentre of
Sloane Ranger merriment and male ‘Hooray Henry’ pub bad behaviour.
Bun throwing, beer chugging, cigarette smoking and girl chasing were all
part of a night’s amusement. The venerable pub dates from the 1900s and
was named after Admiral Sir Edward Codrington, who fought at Trafalgar.
T he pub has had a stylish makeover by Chelsea interior designer Nina
Campbell, and its restaurant serves some of the best burgers in town.
These days the ‘Cod’ attracts a glamorous group of grown-up Sloanes
like Lord Edward Spencer-Churchill, Tom Parker Bowles and the Van
Cutsems, accompanied inevitably by a bevy of leggy blondes.
If the ‘Cod’ is about well-bred Etonians, The Goat, formerly
The Goat in Boots, on Fulham Road along the stretch of SW3 known as
‘the beach’, is altogether more edgy. For generations, it has attracted
hard-partying bohemians like George Morland, the famous artist who
painted the original Goat & Boots sign for the historic pub in the 1700s, in
order to cover his huge bar bill. Regulars at The Goat head for the
mysterious ‘Chelsea Prayer Room’, a separate bar accessed by a special
code. The dim lighting, jazz music, louche sofas and murals in the style of
Morland make The Goat an ideal setting for a decadent evening.
The Cross Keys is Chelsea’s oldest pub. Over its colourful
300-year history, The Cross Keys has been frequented by artists such as
J. M. W. Turner, Whistler and Sargent, writers, like Agatha Christie and
Dylan Thomas, and musicians such as Bob Marley, Mick Jagger, Keith
Richards, and Eric Clapton. During the Blitz, it was a popular meeting
place for soldiers dating nurses who worked at the Cheyne Hospital for
Children next door. Many a nervous groom has popped in for a bracing
drink before getting married at nearby Chelsea Old Church and
generations of local families have shared Sunday lunch together.
The Cross Keys represents the importance of pubs in British
life. Pubs are much more than places to have a drink; they are uniquely
British institutions that help create and celebrate their communities. The
Cross Keys is set to re-open in January 2015, after being completely
refurbished. Its new owner, Eamonn Manson, summed up what makes the
pubs of Chelsea so special: 'Unlike a lot of pubs in town, Chelsea’s
traditional pubs have character and history going way back. It’s all about
many generations having a good time together, a place where you are
welcome to party with your mates, or just read a paper by the fire with a
dog at your feet and a beer in your hand.'
Shopping on the King’s Road
Antiques shop in the Kings Road, London
Chelsea has a wealth of gastropubs
serving delicious food
Tom’s Kitchen, modern british
restaurant occupying the former
site of The Blenheim pub
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