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Cambridge Historic Pub Walk
Discover 6 historic pubs in the centre of Cambridge, the renowned university city with historic buildings and intellectual vibrancy at its heart.
Historic England is not endorsing these venues but merely providing information on the building and its architecture, which the reader (and drinker) might find interesting.
6 and 8 Bene't Street
Our first stop is the second-oldest pub in Cambridge, opening in 1667 as a coaching inn.
For decades, the Eagle public house at 6 and 8 Bene't Street was the local pub for scientists from the nearby Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University.
Famously, one lunchtime in the early 1950s, Francis Crick and James Watson came into the Eagle announcing to regulars that they had solved the mystery of life, having finalised their model of the structure of DNA.
Bath Hotel
A stone's throw away at 3 Bene't Street is the Grade II listed Bath Hotel (today the Bath House public house).
The original L-shaped building was built in the 17th century, before it was altered and re-fronted in the 18th century. The interior includes some reused panelling from around 1600.
10 Peas Hill
Our next stop is 10 Peas Hill, a Grade II listed building that was once home to the novelist EM Forster and is currently the home of Pint Shop.
This pub is well placed for heritage and entertainment lovers, opposite the Cambridge Arts Theatre and next door to the Corn Exchange music and arts venue.
The Mitre
A 10 minute walk across town provides the chance for some fresh air, whetting your appetite for our next 2 pubs...
The Mitre public house is set within a Grade II listed building and can be found at 17 to 18 Bridge Street. The Mitre is named after a bishop's headgear, and the sign that hangs out front would have been easily recognisable for the illiterate.
The Baron of Beef
Next door at 19 Bridge Street is the Grade II listed Baron of Beef public house, which like its neighbour is also resplendent with large gold lettering on a black frontage.
Douglas Adams, creator of 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy', is said to have drank here. Tom Baker, the Doctor Who actor, also stayed here whilst filming 'Shada', a Doctor Who story written by Adams.
The Pickerel Inn
Our final stop takes us down the road and over the River Cam to the Grade II listed Pickerel Inn at 30 Magdelene Street.
The Inn is said to date from 1608 as possibly the oldest licensed ale house in the city. The University purchased it in the 19th century, and it is now a Greene King pub. Famous patrons are said to include C.S Lewis and Lloyd Grossman.
