Autumn Social 2022

The Swan, London

The Swan is a historic London pub that actually dates back several centuries. Records trace The Swan back to 1721 - the first date written in the licensed victualler's register - but it's widely believed to have been an inn for much longer.

A traditional coaching inn, The Swan is reputed to have been the final drinking place for the victims of the Gibbet at Tyburn Gallows - now known as Marble Arch. Notorious highwayman Claude Duval, active on the London to Uxbridge road, is also alleged to have had his final drink in our pub before being hanged at Tyburn in 1670.

Indeed, it has been suggested that the terms “one for the road” and “on the wagon” were first coined here under such circumstances. The local jailer would often draw up with the prisoner’s cage outside and request “one for the road” - a final beer for the prisoner. After the horses had pulled them away, men at the bar would say, ”he's on the wagon” - alluding to the fact that the prisoner would never drink again…