Pillars of Hercules, Soho
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2013) |
| The Pillars of Hercules | |
|---|---|
 The pub in 2008 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Address | 7 Greek Street London W1 |
| Coordinates | 51°30′52″N 0°07′52″W / 51.514558°N 0.131176°W |
Bar Hercules, historically the Pillars of Hercules, is a pub in Greek Street, Soho, London, originally named for the Pillars of Hercules of antiquity. Most of what exists was built around 1910, but the pub dates back to 1733.[1] The road at the side of the pub through the arch is named Manette Street, after Dr Manette, one of the characters from A Tale of Two Cities, who is described in the book as living near Soho Square.
More recently, the pub has been favoured by many figures from the London literary scene, including Martin Amis, Ian Hamilton, Julian Barnes and Ian McEwan. Clive James named his second book of literary criticism (At the Pillars of Hercules) after it, apparently because that was where most of the pieces within it were commissioned, delivered or written. Singer Nick Drake is also said to have frequented the pub during his time in London,[2] and theatre designer Sean Kenny drank there with his staff in the 1960s, their design studio being a few steps from the pub's back door.[citation needed]
The pub closed on 24 February 2018,[3] reopening later in the year as Bar Hercules under new owners Be At One.[4]
Sources
- ^ Pillars of Hercules at ultimatepubguide.com[dead link]
- ^ Wagner, Sonja (2005). "London Days". Ancient Enchantments. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
- ^ "Famed Soho pub not shutting down". www.thedrinksbusiness.com.
- ^ Hansen, James (8 August 2018). "Soho Pub Whitewashes History During Refurbishment". Eater London. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
References
- Wheatley, Henry Benjamin (2011), Round about Piccadilly and Pall Mall: Or, a Ramble from the Haymarket to Hyde Parkvb (illustrated ed.), Cambridge University Press, ISBN 9781108036504
- Knight, Charles, ed. (1851), Knight's cyclopædia of London, London, p. 789
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
External links
- https://londonist.com/pubs/the-pillar-of-hercules. Accessed 10 September 2017.
