Thirsty Thursdays: The Ultimate Monopoly Pub Crawl 2015 in London, England

Back in 2005, two years before this blog even existed, I was in a club in London, England with my mate John Johnson. The club was the Venue in New Cross. At the time, John told me it was on the Old Kent Road and on the heat of the moment, we decided there and then to start the Monopoly Pub Crawl. It was about 3 am!

Of course, the Venue isn’t actually on the Old Kent Road (it shares a corner with it), but we started there anyway and over a period of 36 hours we visited 41 squares on the Monopoly Board, having a drink in each one. It was a crazy time and I’ve yet to write about it – perhaps I never will as it’s a difficult story to remember, but we took photos on almost every street and none of it was planned. We phoned two mates – James Condron and Hazel Gordon and got them down and the four of us completed the crawl. I was the only one that actually did a pub near every square on the board, as John skipped the last three, Hazel skipped the first one and the last three and James turned up after the first two.

But this time, we are doing it for real and we’re all ten years older. It will be for James’s birthday this Saturday, 10th October 2015. This time it’s a bit better planned and thought out and we will start at 9 am on Saturday, with some rules, lots of gimmicks and we aim to visit all 41 squares over a period of 24 hours.

Here’s a rough plan of the day’s events, it will be carnage, not every square is a street, not every street has a pub, but we will get there!

Monopoly Pub Crawl in London, England Saturday October 10^th 2015

ALL 41 SQUARES: 1.Go 2. Old Kent Road 3. Community Chest 4.Whitechapel Road 5. Income Tax 6.King’s Cross Station 7.The Angel Islington 8.Chance 9.Euston Road 10.Pentonville Road 11.Just Visiting 12. In Jail 13.Pall Mall 14.Electric Company 15.Whitehall 16. Northumberland Avenue 17. Marylebone Station 18.Bow Street 19.Community Chest 20.Marlborough Street 21. Vine Street 22. Free Parking 23. Strand 24. Chance 25. Fleet Street 26. Trafalgar Square 27. Fenchurch Street Station 28. Leicester Square 29. Coventry Street 30. Water Works 31. Picadilly 32. Go to Jail 33. Regent Street 34. Oxford Street 35. Community Chest 36. Bond Street 37. Liverpool Street Station 38. Chance 39. Park Lane 40. Super Tax 41. Mayfair

A Guide to Pubs, Restaurants and Cafes on Each Square on the Monopoly Board with the ONE UNDERLINED the one I want to do, if it’s open or even still exists (the internet can be wrong):

1. GO (WATERLOO – TUBE AND TRAIN STATION WATERLOO) Sports Bar & Grill Waterloo (also counts for WATERworks) Unit 1 The Balcony, Waterloo Railway Station, York Road, Lambeth, London, SE1 7NY
   or Hole in the Wall Pub – WATERLOO – Head to the location of GO on the Monopoly Board and collect our £200 from the Hole in the Wall pub: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7963911/Monopoly-Pass-Go-by-the-London-Eye.html Or: Go/G.O./O.G./OWN GOAL – Gin Orange, Greek Olives. GOAL of our OWN. Disappear for 10 minutes and do a pub on our own with selfies as proof.
2. Old Kent Road – (TUBE AND TRAIN STATION ELEPHANT and CASTLE/SURREY QUAYS/NEW CROSS )Ozzie’s Café -180 Old Kent Rd, London SE1 5TY * opens 7 am but unlicensed or Charlie Chaplin, New Kent Road at Elephant and Castle or Thomas A Beckett – 320 Old Kent Rd, London SE1 5UE or Lord Nelson – 386 Old Kent Rd or Daniels Cafe – 207 Old Kent Rd, London SE1 5NA or The George (on Tower Bridge Road) – 40 Tower Bridge Road or The World Turned Upside Down – 145 Old Kent Rd, London SE1 5UT
3. Community Chest 1 – dare
4. Whitechapel Road (TUBE AND TRAIN STATION WHITECHAPEL) The Urban Bar – 176 Whitechapel Rd, London E1 1BJ or The Blind Beggar (famous on Nomadic Backpacker site) or The Aldgate Exchange or The White Hart or The Pride of Spitalfields
5. Income Tax (TUBE STATION CHARI X) – count as Northumberland Avenue and Whitehall
6. King’s Cross – St Pancras Station (TUBE AND TRAIN STATION KINGS CROSS ST PANCRAS) The Duke of York – inside station or The Champagne Bar or O’Neill’s Euston Road
7. The Angel Islington (TUBE STATION ANGEL) The Angel Wetherspoons
   or The Old Red Lion
8. Chance 1 (CHANCE STREET by Shoreditch TUBE STATION) Chance 1 will be on Chance Street, in Shoreditch. The Counter Albionor The Wallace.

9. Euston Road (TUBE STATION EUSTON ROAD or EUSTON SQUARE or WARREN STREET) The Euston Flyer – Euston Road or The Rocket – Euston Road or O’Neill’s Euston Road or Euston Tap or Prince of Wales Feathers (on TCR at Warren Street)

10. Pentonville Road (TUBE STATION ANGEL) The Castle Pub – Pentonville Road or The Lexington or The Big Chill House

11. Just Visiting (ST PAULS TUBE for Newgate Street) Either – 1. We must all go into a pub and leave WITHOUT buying a drink) Any pub, anywhere or 2. Count it as one of four stops in Jail at The Viaduct Tavern is housed in an ex-prison – 126 Newgate St, London EC1A 7AA

12. In Jail (ST PAULS TUBE for Newgate Street) The Viaduct Tavern is housed in an ex-prison – 126 Newgate St, London EC1A 7AA

13. Pall Mall (TUBE STATION CHARI X or GREENY P) The Red Lion or The Golden Lion or The Fine Wine Bar

14. Electric Company (the most difficult to crack)
The Candlelight Club – a secret jazz club with no lights. Location Unknown. Electric Diner – VERY FAR AWAY. Electric Diner is located on Portobello Road; the nearest tube station is Notting Hill Gate or Ladbroke Grove. Electric Diner,191 Portobello Road, London, W11 2ED http://www.electricdiner.com/ Best to wing it on the day and drink in a tent/candle lit bar

15. Whitehall (TUBE STATION CHARI X) – The Lord Moon of the Mall or The Clarence – Whitehall or The Old Shades or 10 Downing Street – Have a pint with Dave and stick your dick in a pig
16. Northumberland Avenue (TUBE STATION CHARI X) The Sherlock Holmes
17. Marylebone Station (MARYLEBONE TRAIN STATION/BAKER STREET TUBE)The Victoria and Albert – inside the station or Sports Bar and Grill – inside the station or The Metropolitan Bar – Marylebone Road or The Globe or The Marylebone
18. Bow Street (TUBE STATION COVI G) The Marques of Anglesey
19. Community Chest 2 – dare
20. Marlborough Street (TUBE STATION OXFI C) O’Neills (Great Marlborough Street – Oxford Circus) Shakespeares Head which is on the corner of Marlborough Street and Regent Street. 29 Great Marlborough Street http://www.taylor-walker.co.uk/pub/shakespeares-head-soho/c3053/
21. Vine Street (PICADILLY TUBE or LESI’s Q TUBE STATION for the real Vine Street). The real Vine Street has no pubs in it – there’s another Vine Street near FENCHURCH STREET) The Emperor, 35 Vine Street, London, EC3N 2PX On the real Vine Street there are no pubs but these ones are nearby: The Gaucho Grill or Bentley’s Below or The Warwick or The Leicester Arms.

22. Free Parking (Any bar/café/restaurant with FREE parking for customers)

23. Strand (TUBE STATION CHARI X) Coal Hole or The Wellington or The Boadicea (at Charing Cross) or The Princess of Wales (at Charing Cross)

24. Chance 2 (CHANCERY LANE for Chance 2) Chance 1 will be at BARANIS 115 Chancery Lane London WC2A 1PP

25. Fleet Street (WALK FROM ST PAULS or COVI G TUBE) The Tipperary or Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese or TheBank of England

26. Trafalgar Square (TUBE STATION CHARI X)The Chandos – Traffy’s Q or Halfway to Heaven or The Boadicea (at Charing Cross) or The Princess of Wales (at Charing Cross)

27. Fenchurch Street Station (FENCHURCH STREET STATION) The Windsor, opens 12– 8pm: http://www.windsorfenchurchlondon.co.uk/ The Blind Beggar or The Fen or The Pitcher and Piano or Proud or The Goose (now the Windsor)

28. Leicester Square (LESI’s Q TUBE) Zoo Bar or The Moon Under Water or Any Casino or Oxygen Bar (SHUT) or Bat and Ball (SHUT)

29. Coventry Street (LESI’s Q or PICADILLY TUBE) The Trocadero or The Comedy – http://www.shepherdneame.co.uk/pubs/london/tom-cribb
The Tom Cribb – 36 Panton Street,London SW1Y 4EA Phone: 020 7839 3801

30. Water Works (WATERloo or a pub with a VIEW of the Thames)WATERloo – Sports Bar & Grill Waterloo (also counts for WATERworks) Unit 1 The Balcony, Waterloo Railway Station, York Road, Lambeth, London, SE1 7NY or Walkabout (Embankment) or Doggett’s (Southwark) or any bar at WATERloo.

31. Picadilly (GREENY P or PICADILLY TUBE) The Blue Posts – 18 Kingley Street or The Trocadero or Henry’s Café Bar
32. Go to Jail (ST PAULS TUBE for Newgate Street) The Viaduct Tavern is housed in an ex-prison – 126 Newgate St, London EC1A 7AA http://viaducttavern.co.uk/
33. Regent Street (LESI’s Q, GREENY P, OXFI C or PICADILLY TUBE) O’Neills (Great Marlborough Street – Oxford Circus) or Shakespeares Head which is on the corner of Marlborough Street and Regent Street. 29 Great Marlborough Street http://www.taylor-walker.co.uk/pub/shakespeares-head-soho/c3053/ or Cheers (CLOSED) or The Captain’s Cabin or All Bar One (CLOSED) or Ice Bar (not on Regent Street) or Costa Coffee
34. Oxford Street (OXFI C or TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD TUBE) – The Tottenham or The Hog in the Pound or The Spread Eagle or The Phoenix or The Explorer or The Last Bid
35. Community Chest 3 – dare
36. Bond Street – (BOND STREET TUBE) The Hog in the Pound (possibly CLOSED) or The Hog’s Head
37. Liverpool Street Station (LIVERPOOL STREET STATION) Wetherspoons (The Hamilton Hall) at Liverpool Street or The Dirty Dick
38. Chance 3 – Chance 3 will be another dare or a second drink on CHANCE STREET or CHANCERY LANE which we did earlier
39. Park Lane (GREENY P TUBE) The Rose and Crown Trader Vics, Hilton Hotel
40. Super Tax (TUBE STATION CHARI X) – count as Northumberland Avenue and Whitehall
41. Mayfair – (GREENY P TUBE) Ye Grapes The Red Lion

That’s the order above that they appear on the board, but we will do them in the best order that suits. Last time, James and I finished with doubles on Trafalgar Square.

Chance and Community Chest Dares
Dares will take place during the day and these will count as our Community Chests and at least one of the three Chances. There is also a set of Monopoly Pub Crawl rules to adhere to, I have drafted up a copy of rules, it should be fun. Wish us luck, follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and if we find anytime on the day, some photos may go up on there.

On the pub crawl on Saturday will be:

• Millwall Neil (AKA Neil Macey)
• James Condron
• Austin Sheppard
• Jonny Blair

Thanks to the guys at http://monopolypubcrawl.org.uk/ for an awesome website!

I hope to update when we finish it!