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This inviting glass sign lured us into the Museum Tavern in Bloomsbury,
London - right opposite the British Museum. I’d heard it was a bit of a tourist
trap so I had fairly low expectations, but inside it’s a relaxed Victorian pub,
with a good mix of customers and some rare cockney accents.
The Tavern was expanded in 1855 and pleasing original
features – such as this cut glass window, carved wooden fittings and pretty
coloured glass – still survive.
It’s hard to believe now, but the area was full of swamps
and ponds in the early 18th century. The pub on the site was called
the Dog and Duck, and the area was a hunting ground for the Duke of Montagu,
whose house later housed the first British Museum.
