Thought to be the oldest public house in Westminster, its origin can be traced back to 1729. Located on Dartmouth Street opposite the Cock Pit steps (the alleged haunt of the Royal Cockpit, a dodgy 18th century cockfighting venue). A lovely old pub (I'm a sucker for a narrow building next to an alley) in a quiet part of St. James. A nice small bar where I enjoyed a Greene King IPA and enjoyed the beautiful mural.

The sign features two men carrying a sedan chair - a form of transport popular in the 17th century as a way of navigating the streets of London without dirtying one's feet. Most pubs had at least one chair for use by their clientele. The chairmen were basically the taxi drivers of their day. They mostly came from Ireland and charged double after midnight. They had to have a licence, badge and an official number to operate. They were easy to identify by their beefy forearms, body harness and the great pole they carried. They were renowned for their speed, efficiency and take no prisoner approach. They would curse at anyone who blocked their path (early road rage) and would happily knock down people in their way. “Link boys” were local urchins who carried a rudimentary “link” light and escorted chairmen through the dark nights of London. It is suggested that the origin of the expression "cheerio" may have been when customers wanting a sedan chair would shout "Chair Ho!". A Greene King brewery pub.