Knightsbridge, London. The oldest pub in this area of Knightsbridge, established as the Grapes in 1515, licensed in 1760 as the Hoop and Grapes, renamed the Hoop and Toy in 1784. The "Toy" is symbolic of the rum soaked leather bound peg placed in a horse's mouth to stop it from grinding it's teeth or biting it's gums. In the late 1700s the pub had a stable to look after commuter's horses for the day to avoid the daily charge levied at the nearby Brompton Gate (where the Victoria and Albert Museum stands today). Lord Rothschild entertained both George III and George IV here, and it was featured in a Roman Polanski film. T.S. Eliot and Alfred Hitchcock have also been patrons. Located around the corner from the flat Bela Bartok stayed at when performing in London.

A nice corner pub located adjacent to the South Kensington tube station (the nearest to the apartments we stay at when in London). A roomy space with lots of photos and artwork on the walls. Very popular as it is so close to the tube station. It is a Greene King pub - I had a False Nine Golden Beer which is not a beer you see from them in many of their pubs. Light, crisp and refreshing!