Holborn's Best Kept Secret

By: Megan Abundis

HOLBORN'S BEST KEPT SECRET

The tucked away entrance

LONDON --  Our first evening in London was spent at The Ship Tavern celebrating making it across the world in one piece. Little did we know that our dining locale is considered one of north London's best kept secrets. The small tavern in the barrow of Holborn is tucked away on a side street away from the hectic high streets. This centuries-old tavern has been a popular place for the locals to grab a drink or meal since 1549.

Its historical significance goes deeper than its savory  pies and traditional eats.  During The Reformation and the reign of Henry the VIII being a Catholic in England was dangerous.  Attending or conducting a mass could get you killed.  Legend has it that during this period The Ship Tavern was not only a pub but a place where secret Catholic church services were held. People would congregate and sneak into the tavern where outlawed priests would give mass.
Ironically the priest would give mass from behind the bar.  There would be ‘lookouts’ to warn the congregation if the King’s officials were in sight.  If danger approached church-goers would immediately grab their ales and pretend to be drinking.  The tavern was constructed with secret passageways that would conceal the priests and help them escape.




Newly renovated bar

When our tour guide, Nadia Jennings, was explaining this our whole group was surprised.   Looking around at the small tavern you would never guess its hidden secrets.

I asked the waitresses if we could see the secret passage ways today and they had confirmed that through all of the renovations over the years they were now unfortunately covered up.

Even without being able to see the secret passageways you can  feel  the history throughout the tavern. It was a lovely way to start our trip and to recover from jet lag!





Traditional British Pie

View from the bar