An interior detail of a bar area and fire place within a historic London public house.
An interior detail of a bar area and fire place at the Cheshire Cheese Public House, New Wine Court, Fleet Street, City of London. © Historic England, Photographer credit Derek Kendall
An interior detail of a bar area and fire place at the Cheshire Cheese Public House, New Wine Court, Fleet Street, City of London. © Historic England, Photographer credit Derek Kendall

England's Historic Pubs

Pull up a bar-stool or make yourself comfortable in your favourite 'snug' and explore our work on understanding, protecting and showcasing England's well-loved but vulnerable historic pubs. As well as us playing 'mine host', you can get involved in sharing your knowledge and photographs of Listed pubs.

Listed Pub Highlights

Listing helps to protect Historic pubs and acknowledges that they are essential part of our common identity, helping to tell the country’s story. Below are some highlights of Listed pubs.

Liverpool Philharmonic Pub Becomes Grade I Listed

News of listing upgrades to historic public houses, ranging from an opulent Victorian example in Liverpool to quaint west country village pubs.

How Did Victorian Drinking Establishments Become Family-Friendly Pubs in the 20th Century?

Why do 20th-century pubs look so different to 19th-century ones? The Black Horse pub in Birmingham, dating from 1929 and listed at Grade II, provides the answer.

Best Inter-War Pubs Listed

Rare, overlooked buildings are protected and celebrated through listing following extensive research

Five Quirky Post-War Pubs Listed

Five quirky post-war pubs have been listed on the advice of Historic England.

Royal Vauxhall Tavern Listed

We are delighted that the Minister for Heritage, Tracey Crouch, has listed the Royal Vauxhall Tavern at Grade II on our advice.

Huddersfield Pub Listed at Grade II

Huddersfield town centre pub 'The Sportsman', built in 1930, has been listed at Grade II.

Historic Pub Walks in the North-West

Enjoy one of our historic pub walks and satisfy your thirst for understanding the pubs you love in Manchester, Liverpool, Chester or Stockport.

Liverpool Philharmonic Dining Rooms Public House

A gallery to celebrate the first purpose-built Victorian pub to receive Garage I Listed status: the highest grade of listing.

The exterior of an elaborate three to four story Victorian public house. Ornate hardwood fire surround and furniture in a snug within a Victorian pub. An elaborately decorated urinal within a Victorian pub. View of decorative bashed metal sheeting with a foliage pattern set within hardwood panelling within a public house. Detail of a public house interior with metal sheet decorated metal sheet depicting a thistle , wit surrounding hardwood panelling. An ornate dining room within a large and imposing Victorian Public House. Detail of a crest on an ornate decorative ironwork gate, painted black and gold, Detail of a female face on a decorative ironwork gate. Ornate Art Noveau style ironwork foyer gates at a public house. A stained glass window from a public house depicting Saint Cecilia playing a lute-like instrument.

Pubs Listing Upgrades

A gallery to mark the upgrading of Listing for historic pubs in February 2020. 11 pubs have received listings updates and upgrades as part of a listing project to protect rare historic interiors.

Ornate hardwood fire surround and furniture in a snug within a Victorian pub. Detail of a servery in a pub with barrels, mugs, optics and shelves of bottles. Cosy interior of a public house with panelled walls, ceiling beams and lit wood burning stove. Interior a pub cellar. A view of an elaborate copper bar counter at a public house. Interior of a historic London public house with bar counter. Detail of seating in a public house, upholstered benches against the walls are divided by screens, the space has elaborate wooden panelling with a stucco style relief of putti above. View of a wood panelled rear bar area in a public house. Stained glass window detailing from a public house including crests and depictions of heraldic crests and modes of transport. A view of a public bar area in a historic public house; features include wood wall panelling, a fireplace and section of exposed timber frame with herringbone tile infilling. View of the bar of a public house. A large room in a historic pub; features include wooden panelling, exposed stonework and fireplace. An interior view of the public bar in a public house, showing wooden panelled walls, benches, ceiling beams and fireplace.

Explore our 'Top 50' map of Grade I listed pubs or former pubs and inns

This selection of our 'Top 50' Grade I listed buildings with present or past historic associations as pubs or inns includes some buildings that are no longer pubs or that are no longer open to the public.

What are your own favourite historic pubs in your area? We'd love you to contribute your knowledge and photographs of them by Enriching the List.

Our public house research

Historic England has carried out and commissioned research to help us understand the historic development of pubs in England. This has thrown new light on often vulnerable buildings that may be great typical, rare or previously overlooked examples of their kind.

The English Pub

Public houses are one of England’s best-known and best-loved building types, but are increasingly under threat.

State Control of Pubs

At the height of the First World War, government nationalised public houses to reduce the impact of excessive drinking on productivity of munitions workers.

The Nineteenth and Twentieth-Century Public House in Bristol

The report looks at architectural development, building plan forms, external and internal features of the pubs as well as social history trends

The Urban and Suburban Public House in Inter-War England, 1918-1939

A summary of the historical development of pubs in the inter-war period; notable architects, architectural styles and ideals of pub 'improvement'.

Pubs and Clubs in LGBTQ History

Clubs and pubs have long offered spaces where LGBTQ people can meet and socialise with relative freedom and as such become important community spaces.

Our 'pub-lications'

Enjoy our pub-related reading, discover the story of buildings for brewing and the social history of pub games. Dominoes anyone?

Quirky pub facts and fables

From striking modern designs or ornate Victorian gin palaces to  reputedly haunted ancient inns there is a world of fascinating pub facts and fables to explore through our blogs and features.

7 Listed Pubs with Fascinating Histories

From the Knights Templar to John Lennon’s grandmother, here are seven fascinating histories behind some of our favourite Grade I listed taverns.

Ten of the Best Gin Palaces

England's relationship with gin goes back as far as the 17th century and much as the drink itself has evolved, so have the places associated with it.

Licence to chill: 11 of England’s most haunted pubs

From spectral soldiers to unearthly urchins, our urban and rural pubs often play host to chilling tales of ghostly happenings.

Pubs, Parks and Pavilions Queen Victoria in Public Places

Historic places named after Queen Victoria including pubs

Heritage Pub Quiz: Celebrating Great Inter-War Pubs

A handful of England’s best inter-war pubs, built between 1918 and 1939, have just been listed following Historic England’s research.

10 of England’s Best Post-War pubs

More public houses were built in the years 1945-1985 than in any other period in English history, yet pubs of these years are now highly threatened.

Ee ‘beer’ gum – it’s Yorkshire Day!

A tour of God’s own county’s beer brewing heritage.

Pubs, Trains and New England

Transcript of our podcast A History of England in 100 Places - Travel & Tourism episode 2

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