The Old Bull and Bush is a

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

near

Hampstead Heath Hampstead Heath (locally known simply as the Heath) is an ancient heath in London, spanning . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band o ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, which gave its name to the

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

Down at the old Bull and Bush "Under the Anheuser Bush" is a beer garden song commissioned by the Anheuser-Busch brewing company in 1903. With music by Harry Von Tilzer and words by Andrew B. Sterling, the title contains a pun on the surnames of the company's founders ("Busch" ...

", sung by

Florrie Forde Flora May Augusta Flannagan ( Flannagan; 16 August 187518 April 1940), known professionally as Florrie Forde, was an Australian popular singer and music hall entertainer. From 1897 she lived and worked in the United Kingdom. She was one of the ...

. The Old Bull and Bush is managed by

Mitchells and Butlers Mitchells & Butlers plc (also referred to as "M&B") runs circa 1,784 managed pubs, bars and restaurants throughout the United Kingdom. The company's headquarters are in Birmingham, England. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange an ...

under the Premium Country Dining Group brand. The interior was renovated to a modern,

gastropub A gastropub or gastro pub is a pub that serves gourmet comfort food. The term was coined in the 1990s, though similar brewpubs existed during the 1980s. Etymology The term ''gastropub'' (derived from gastronomy) was coined in 1991, when David E ...

style in 2006. Until the introduction of the

smoking ban in England A smoking ban in England, making it illegal to smoke in all enclosed work places in England, came into force on 1 July 2007 as a consequence of the Health Act 2006. Similar bans had already been introduced by the rest of the United Kingdom: in Sc ...

in 2007, The Bull and Bush was one of the few completely smoke-free pubs in London.

History

The earliest record of a building on the site is of a farmhouse in 1645. The farmhouse gained a licence to sell ale in 1721.

William Hogarth William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraver, pictorial satirist, social critic, editorial cartoonist and occasional writer on art. His work ranges from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like s ...

drank here, and is believed to have been involved in planting out the pub garden. The pub gained a music licence in 1867, when Henry Humphries was the landlord. The pub became popular as a day trip for

cockneys Cockney is an accent and dialect of English, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by working-class and lower middle-class Londoners. The term "Cockney" has traditionally been used to describe a person from the East End, or b ...

. The building underwent a major reconstruction in 1924, when owned by the Ind Coope brewery. Another refurbishment took place in 1987. In 2006, the interior was renovated to a modern,

style with an openly visible kitchen, and reopened to the public on 24 March that year.

Bull and Bush tube station

Near to the pub was the site of the proposed

North End tube station North End (commonly referred to as Bull and Bush) is a never-completed underground station, on the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway (CCE&HR, now part of the London Underground's Northern line). The station was to have been built at N ...

(also called ''Bull and Bush'') on the

Northern line The Northern line is a London Underground line that runs from North London to South London. It is printed in black on the Tube map. The Northern line is unique on the Underground network in having two different routes through central London, two ...

of the London Underground. Only the platforms were excavated, and the station construction was cancelled. An entrance (for emergency use only) leading down 197 steps to platform level is located on Hampstead Way.Bull & Bush Underground Station
/ref>

References

External links

* Gastropubs in England Pubs in the London Borough of Camden Grade II listed pubs in London Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Camden {{UK-listed-building-stub