Lamb and Flag, Covent Garden

The Lamb and Flag is a Grade II listed public house at Rose Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2.[1]

The Lamb and Flag

The building is erroneously said to date back to Tudor times, and to have been a licensed premises since 1623, but in fact dates from the early 18th century.[2] The building became a pub in 1772.[2]

Situated in what was a violent area of Covent Garden, the pub's upstairs room once hosted bare-knuckle prize fights,[3] leading to it being nicknamed "The Bucket of Blood".[4] A plaque on the building commemorates an attack on John Dryden in a nearby alley in 1679, when Charles II sent men to assault Dryden in objection to a satirical verse against Louise de Kérouaille, Charles II's mistress.[5] Writer Charles Dickens frequented the pub in the 19th century.

The pub was refaced with brick in 1958.[6]

References

1. Historic England, "The Lamb and Flag public house (1265122)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 2 October 2014
2. Flude, Kevin; Herbert, Paul (1 May 1990). Citisights: Guide to London. Virgin Books Limited. ISBN 9780863693533 – via Google Books.
3. Fodor, Eugene (27 September 1994). Fodor's Great Britain. Fodor's Travel Publications, Inc. ISBN 9780679027201 – via Google Books.
4. Balfour, Michael (1970). Help Yourself in London: A Guide to Services, Facilities and Things to Do. Garnstone Press. ISBN 9780900391378 – via Google Books.
5. Publishing, D. K. (1 February 2012). DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: London: London. Dorling Kindersley Limited. ISBN 9781405393140 – via Google Books.
6. Richardson, John (1 January 1979). Covent Garden. Historical Publications Limited. ISBN 9780950365619 – via Google Books.