PUBLICAN OF HISTORIC HOLBORN PUB RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS AWARD

The publican of one of Holborn’s last remaining traditional pubs has received a prestigious award to recognise his family’s 25^th anniversary at the helm.

The award is a double celebration for Ross Evans of The Ship Tavern on Gate Street, which is marking its 475^th anniversary this year. Dating back to 1549, The Ship Tavern is amongst the oldest pubs in London. Ross – whose family has run pubs in the West End since the 1920s – was presented with the ‘Dedication Award’ by Star Pubs, owners of The Ship Tavern. It salutes his commitment and contribution to the pub and the community.

Rumoured to be haunted, The Ship Tavern is believed to have taken its name from shipping on the River Fleet, which ran through Holborn in the sixteenth century. Amongst its claims to fame, the pub served as an underground Catholic church during Edward VI’s reign and was consecrated as a Masonic Lodge in 1786. The pub is said to have been rebuilt in 1923 but still has its original cellar and layout. Ross is keen to find out more about this and is appealing to anyone with knowledge to get in touch.

When the Evans took over The Ship Tavern in 1999, it was rundown and little used. Over the last quarter of a century Ross and his family have lovingly transformed it into a top quality traditional London pub that is a favourite of local residents, students and workers, as well as a destination for visitors from all over the world. The Ship Tavern oozes character and charm. The downstairs is an old-fashioned wood-floored alehouse full of glass and brass and with dividing screens that create a cosy feel. Upstairs there is a Dickensian-style candlelit oak-panelled dining room with high backed booths and a real fire.

Thanks to Ross The Ship Tavern is known for its great food and drink. Cask Marque accredited, it has six real ales on tap – including those from London breweries – with two rotating on a weekly basis. The pub produces its own ‘Holborn gin’ and stocks an extensive selection of wines, spirits and cocktails. The food focuses on home-cooked British cuisine using ingredients sourced from London’s markets wherever possible. Traditional snacks – like pork pies, homemade pork scratchings, sausages rolls and cockles & mussels – accompany drinks in the bar, whilst the dining room menu features classics such as pies and beer-battered fish & chips. Dishes – right down to the pastry – are made from scratch, and Beef Wellington and Sunday roasts are favourites.

To celebrate The Ship’s 475^th anniversary, the pub is serving Ship Tavern 475 at £4.75 a pint and a venison and prune pie harking back to dishes popular in the sixteenth century.

London born-and-bred Ross is the fourth generation of his family to have a pub in central London. His great grandparents ran The Cock Tavern in Great Portland Street and his grandfather and father John Evans had The Wheatsheaf on Rathbone Place. When the lease ended at The Wheatsheaf, John and Ross took over The Ship Tavern.

Says Ross: “Having grown up in pubs, I always wanted one of my own. It’s in my blood, like osmosis. I feel very lucky we found The Ship Tavern all those years ago. I still love running it as much as I did back then. Independently run traditional London pubs are part of the capital’s heritage and need to be cherished to preserve their legacy. I see myself as The Ship Tavern’s custodian; my ambition is to keep it thriving, so that I can pass it on one day for future generations to enjoy.”

Adds Max Allen, Star Pubs Business Development Manager for central London: “It’s a great honour to present this award. Ross has worked tirelessly to restore The Ship Tavern as a quintessential London pub – it’s like stepping back in time when you walk through the door. It’s a fantastic achievement to have kept it at the top of its game for so long when there is so much competition in central London. It’s all down to Ross who never rests on his laurels and is always adapting what he offers to customers’ changing tastes.  We wish him many more happy years at the bar!”