The Lamb and Flag

On 18 December 1679, three hired thugs dragged the poet John Dryden into the alley beside what is now The Lamb and Flag and beat him nearly to death. The assailants were probably sent by the Earl of Rochester and the Duchess of Portsmouth, who blamed Dryden for an anonymous satirical essay he didn't actually write. The building on Rose Street dates from at least 1688, though it only became a pub in 1772. The upstairs room hosted bare-knuckle prize fights through the 18th and 19th centuries, earning the place its nickname: the Bucket of Blood. We’d recommend getting a drink and standing in the alley outside — in good weather it fills up fast, and you can see exactly where Dryden caught his beating.