Ready? Samuel Pepys—the famous diarist who wrote about the Great Fire of London—lived around the corner and definitely drank here. He mentions “The Ship” in his diary, noting that “the ale was uncommonly fine” and that he “fell into a ditch on the way home.” So you’re drinking in a spot that gave a 17th-century gossip a hangover. History is basically just gossip with better handwriting.
Also, the pub once served as a meeting place for the Royal Society—you know, the science nerds who invented modern physics. Isaac Newton may have sat right where you’re sitting, calculating gravity while trying to fish a pickled egg out of a jar. Think about that next time your drink spills.
So, next time you’re in London, skip the boring tourist traps and head to Villiers Street. Stand in the alley, hold a pint in each hand (one from each pub), and feel like a Time Lord straddling two centuries. The Ship and Shovell isn’t just a pub—it’s a beautiful, boozy accident of history. And it’s waiting for you to get gloriously lost.
