Inns, taverns, pubs… The social hub of any wayfarer’s existence! Providing respite from the road and, at times, the catalyst for mischief itself.
To start this thread I’ve chosen the Flask in Highgate, London (an old haunt of mine).
The pub dates back to 1663. Its name originates from its tradition of selling flasks to travellers before they set out on the Great North Road (a road notorious for the highwaymen that lurked in Highgate Woods). One such highwayman—the infamous Dick Turpin—is even rumoured to have hidden in the Flask’s stables for a time when on the run from the authorities.
A more grisly tale attached to the pub is that some of the first ever autopsies were performed in the cellar. This due to the fact that Highgate Cemetery lies just down the hill and was the perfect place for graverobbers to secure fresh specimens.
What would an old pub be without a ghostly tale? The two most prominent are of a Spanish barmaid who hanged herself in the cellar due to unrequited love, and a man in a cavalier uniform who reportedly crosses the bar area and disappears into a pillar. (Also, across the road in Pond Square, there have even been sightings of a ghost—wait for it… chicken!).
As if all of this wasn’t enough it has well-noted literary links, with writers such as Shelley, Keats and Byron all reputed to visit a local opium enthusiast who lived in a house opposite. Byron performed a farcical oath known as the Swearing of the Horns, which consisted of a series of statements read by a clerk, confirming one’s dedication to merriment and debauchery; those being sworn in would agree to each statement, kiss or salute a set of horns, and be entered in a logbook for posterity.
Do you have a local that is an ideal setting for a fantasy story? Or perhaps one with tales to inspire?
