St Martins pub history index
A listing of historical public houses, Taverns, Inns, Beer Houses and Hotels in St Martins in Fields, London.
Residents at this address.
No trace remains of the " Bull's Head " tavern in Old Spring Gardens, Charing Cross. During the writing and publishing of " Joannis Philippi Angli Defensio," &c., John Milton lodged at one Thomson's, next door to the "Bull's Head," at Charing Cross, opening into Spring Gardens.
It was outside this "Bull's Head" tavern at Charing Cross that Colonel Blood with five or six of his associates, well mounted and armed, awaited the return home to Clarendon House of the Duke of Ormond. Their design was to carry the Duke to Tyburn and there hang him with a paper pinned to his breast showing why they had done it. Blood had laid a design in Ireland to surprise the Castle of Dublin, and the magazine there, and to usurp the government ; but this being discovered by the Duke of Ormond the night before its intended execution, some of his accomplices were taken and executed as traitors. The deaths of these, Blood and the surviving rogues bound themselves by a solemn oath to revenge upon the person of the Duke.
When the Duke had passed the "Bull's Head" they all took horse and galloped after him, overtaking him near his own gate.
They knocked down his footmen, having ascertained beforehand that he was attended by only two or three, took him out of his coach, forced him up behind one of the horsemen, to whom he was tied, and rode away with him. The coachman and servants crying out, the porter reached the spot, and, seeing what was done, pursued them. The Duke strove so violently to free himself that at last he got loose, and threw himself, with the villain he was tied to, off the horse. The rest turned back, and, finding it impossible to carry him away, discharged two pistols at him ; but the night being dark they could not see to take aim properly, missing him both times. And the porter and other assistance coming up, they were glad to make haste away, leaving the nobleman much bruised by his fall. A thousand pounds reward offered by the King did not shake the fidelity of these scoundrels to each other, and they would probably never have been discovered if the failure of the attempt which Blood made on the Crown jewels had not led to his confession of the attempt on the Duke.
Colley Cibber, whilst living in Old Spring Garden, advertised as follows :
" In or near the old Play-house in Drury Lane, on Monday last the 19th of January, a watch was dropped having a Tortoiseshell Case inlaid with silver, a silver chain, and a gold seal ring; the arms, a cross wavy and chequer. Whoever brings it to Mr. Cibber, at his house near the Bull-head in Old Spring Garden, shall have three guineas reward." * He lived here from 1711 until 1714.' In Taylor's "Taverns," 1636, a Bull or Buffle's (Buffalo's) Head is mentioned as being at Charing Cross. It was at his house in Spring Gardens that Prince Rupert breathed his last on November 29, 1684.