| The Magdala | |
|---|---|
 The pub in 2014 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | South Hill Park, Hampstead, London NW3 2SB, England |
| Owner | Ori Calif |
| Website | |
| www | |
The Magdala, also known as The Magdala Tavern or colloquially as simply The Magy, is a pub on South Hill Park in Hampstead, north London. Named after the British victory in the 1868 Battle of Magdala, it was the site of a notorious murder in 1955.
The pub building dates back to at least the mid-19th century, being built in mid-Victorian times to serve the developing neighbourhood south of Hampstead Heath. [1] The building was named after the British victory in the 1868 Battle of Magdala. [2] [3]
The pub is included in CAMRA's heritage guide for its interior, which includes a "remarkably intact room from the 1930s" with wood panelling, an Art Deco frieze and a Tudor-style pink marble fireplace. [1]
The pub became infamous as the location outside which Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in the United Kingdom, shot her boyfriend David Blakely in April 1955. [5]
After closing for refurbishment in 2014, [5] The Magdala reopened in January 2015 before closing again in February 2016, with the upper floors converted to flats. [6] It reopened again as a pub and restaurant in May 2021. [7]
The Magdala has been listed as an Asset of Community Value since September 2014. [6] It is owned by Ori Calif. [8]
A pub is a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in the late 17th century, to differentiate private houses from those open to the public as alehouses, taverns and inns. Today, there is no strict definition, but CAMRA states a pub has four characteristics:
Hampstead is an area in London, England, which lies four miles northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from the A5 road to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the London Borough of Camden, a borough in Inner London which for the purposes of the London Plan is designated as part of Central London.
Highgate is a suburban area of London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, 4+1⁄2 miles north-northwest of Charing Cross.
Kentish Town is an area of northwest London, England in the London Borough of Camden, immediately north of Camden Town. Less than four miles north of central London, Kentish Town has good transport connections and is situated close to the open spaces of Hampstead Heath.
Gospel Oak is an inner urban area of north west London in the London Borough of Camden at the very south of Hampstead Heath. The neighbourhood is positioned between Hampstead to the north-west, Dartmouth Park to the north-east, Kentish Town to the south-east, and Belsize Park to the south-west. Gospel Oak lies across the NW5 and NW3 postcodes and is served by Gospel Oak station on the London Overground.
Swiss Cottage is an area of Hampstead in the London Borough of Camden, England. It is centred on the junction of Avenue Road and Finchley Road and includes Swiss Cottage tube station. Swiss Cottage lies 3.25 miles (5.23 km) north-northwest of Charing Cross. The area was named after a public house in the centre of it, known as "Ye Olde Swiss Cottage".
The Old Bull and Bush is a Grade II listed public house at North End near Hampstead Heath in London, which gave its name to the music hall song "Down at the old Bull and Bush", sung by Florrie Forde. It is located on North End Way.
Ruth Ellis was a British nightclub hostess and convicted murderer who became the last woman to be executed in the United Kingdom following the fatal shooting of her lover, David Blakely.
The Spaniards Inn is a historic pub on Spaniards Road between Hampstead and Highgate in London, England. It lies on the edge of Hampstead Heath near Kenwood House. It is a Grade II listed building, dating back to the 16th century.
The Princess Louise is a public house situated on High Holborn, a street in central London. Built in 1872, it is best known for its well-preserved 1891 Victorian interior, with wood panelling and a series of booths around an island bar. It is a tied house owned by the Samuel Smith Old Brewery of Tadcaster, Yorkshire.
South Hill Park is a street in the Hampstead district of London. It is within the London Borough of Camden, and some of its houses overlook Hampstead Heath.
The Falcon is a Grade II listed public house at 2 St John's Hill, Battersea, London.
The Flask is a Grade II listed public house at 74–76 Highgate West Hill, Highgate, London. According to the 1936 Survey of London, a pub known as The Flask has stood on this spot since "at least as early as 1663". The present buildings probably date from the early 18th century, and were partially rebuilt in about 1767 by William Carpenter. A Manorial court met there in the eighteenth century. The Flask is currently owned and operated by the London-based Fuller's.
The Flask is a Grade II listed public house at 14 Flask Walk, Hampstead, London, on the site from where the trade in Hampstead mineral water was run, and which is mentioned in the eighteenth century novel Clarissa. It has been owned by Young's Brewery since 1904.
Crocker's Folly is a Grade II* listed public house at 24 Aberdeen Place, St John's Wood, London. It was built in 1898, in a Northern Renaissance style, and was previously called The Crown. Geoff Brandwood and Jane Jephcote's guide to heritage pubs in London describes it as "a truly magnificent pub-cum-hotel" with "superb fittings", including extensive use of marble. The architect was Charles Worley.
The Winchester is a public house in Highgate, London. It was built in 1881 as the Winchester Tavern, and later became the Winchester Hall Hotel. The name derives from Winchester Hall, a nearby late 17th-century mansion. The pub has featured on the Campaign for Real Ale's National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors.
The Five Mile House is a former pub on Old Gloucester Road, Duntisbourne Abbots, Gloucestershire, England. It was built in the 17th century and is grade II listed.
The Old White Bear is a pub at 1 Well Road, Hampstead, in the London Borough of Camden on the corner with New End Square.
The Archway Tavern in Archway, London, is on Highgate Hill near Archway tube station.
The first building in this street was The Magdala Tavern, which was already there by 1868.
Media related to The Magdala, Hampstead at Wikimedia Commons