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Here’s something we’d never thought we’d be saying: James Bond has bought a haunted pub in Clerkenwell.
Joining a growing squad of celebs who own boozers in the capital – including James Blunt, Ian McKellen and Idris Elba, to name a few – Daniel Craig is set to co-own the 250-year-old pub The Horseshoe.
The olde-worlde establishment has long been known for its traditional vibes, darts competitions and sheltered beer garden. It was run by landlords Richard and Pauline Tucker for 36 years until it closed on October 9.
In a Facebook post on September 28, the Tuckers wrote: ‘To all our customers, past and present, thank you. There are far too many of you to name individually, but over the years so many of you have become more than customers. You have become friends and family, supporting us through the good times and the difficult ones.’
But the future of The Horseshoe has been secured thanks to Mr 007, who will now co-own it with some familiar faces on the London hospitality scene: Soho House owner Nick Jones, Flat Iron and Soho’s hottest pub The Devonshire founder Charlie Carroll, and Justin O'Shea who is the creative director of Danie’s Bad Belze beer brand.
Pauline told the Times that the pub is also home to a spooky spectre called Gilbert, a former hangman who haunts the cellar. She told the newspaper: ‘You don’t see him. You feel him.’
Daniel didn’t seem fazed though, he told the Times: ‘I don’t know what he drinks but we might have to leave a pint down there: “Here you are Gilbert.”’
The actor comes from a family of publicans and spent his early years in his grandparents’ pub where he would speak to the locals as a kid. Later on in life, he told the Times, he hung out in pubs by himself which allowed him to watch other people and hone his acting skills.
Before The Horseshoe reopens, it’s going to get a major refurb. The upstairs floor will transform into a restaurant (perhaps with a terrace too), but Daniel has promised to ‘keep [The Horseshoe] as a boozer’.
The Horseshoe will reopen in late 2027 after refurbishment. You’ll find it at 24 Clerkenwell Close, London EC1R 0AG.
Hungry after that spooky pint? Have a read of our food editor’s guide to the best restaurants in Clerkenwell.
Halloween is around the corner… read Time Out’s picks to the most haunted spots in London.
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