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.
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?
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Played at the Pub: The pub games of BritainPublished 15 July 2009
Definitive examination of the games played in Britain’s pubs, both historic and contemporary, popular and obscure. Beautifully illustrated and overflowing with great stories, it also acts as a guide to finding the best pubs to play traditional pub games.
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Built to BrewPublished 15 June 2014
Illustrated history of the brewing industry, the process of beer making and the built heritage surrounding the industry.
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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