What am I looking at?
The Coach and Horses is a Grade II listed public house on the corner of Greek Street and Romilly Street in Soho, London, England.
The quick answer
The Coach and Horses is a Grade II listed public house on the corner of Greek Street and Romilly Street in Soho, London, England. The present building dates from about 1840, although a licensed premises has occupied the site since at least 1724. Altered in 1889 and remodelled internally in the 1930s, it retains an interior of "outstanding national historic importance" recognised by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). The pub is also known for its association with landlord Norman Balon, journalist Jeffrey Bernard and the magazine Private Eye.
How it came to be
The building is a public house dating from about 1840, built on the site of an earlier inn of the same name. A licence for the Coach and Horses is recorded on Greek Street from 1724, indicating that the site's history as a pub extends back to at least the early 18th century. The building was substantially altered in 1889 and its interior was remodelled in the 1930s.
The detail most people miss
In the 20th century, the landlord for over 60 years was Norman Balon (1927–2026), who developed a persona as "London's rudest landlord". He began to work at the pub in 1943, when he left an engineering course to serve at the bar, after his father became the landlord there.
Why it still matters
On 23 November 1978, the Coach and Horses was designated a Grade II listed building. The pub is regarded by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) as having an interior of "outstanding national historic importance" and is rated three stars on its National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors.
Look closer
The pub became a favourite drinking spot for the journalists of the satirical magazine Private Eye and the location of their fortnightly lunches, at which it was hoped a plentiful supply of cheap wine would prompt an indiscretion from one of the guests, such as Member of Parliament John Hemming's admission that he had got his mistress pregnant. It also featured regularly in The Spectator's "Low Life" column by Jeffrey Bernard, who was a regular at the pub until his death in 1997.