UK pubs owned by celebrities, from Clerkenwell to the Cotswolds
Several well-known actors and television personalities have invested in pubs around the UK, with Daniel Craig the latest to join them after buying The Horseshoe in Clerkenwell. The venues combine traditional pub attractions with links to their celebrity owners, and some have historic features or distinctive menus.
Craig co-owns the 250-year-old Horseshoe with business partners and plans to refurbish it without turning it into a modern gastropub; the pub is also known for a reported ghost in its cellar. Jeremy Clarkson bought The Farmer’s Dog in the Cotswolds for about £1 million in 2024, while James May took a share in Salisbury’s Royal Oak in 2020 to help keep it open. Sir Ian McKellen owns The Grapes, a London pub with a 500-year history, where Charles Dickens is said to have visited.
- Daniel Craig has bought a historic Clerkenwell pub with business partners.
- Jeremy Clarkson and James May also own pubs in England.
- Sir Ian McKellen’s London pub has a 500-year history.
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Pubs are a familiar part of British social life, serving drinks and often meals in neighbourhoods and villages. Some are independently owned, while others are run by companies; buying a pub can involve maintaining an old building as well as running a business.
Actors and television personalities have invested in pubs alongside other business partners. Their venues may attract visitors interested in the owners, but the pubs also have their own local histories and features, from long-standing buildings to distinctive food and drink.
The examples range from London to the Cotswolds and Salisbury. They show how celebrity investment can be linked both to keeping a pub operating and to preserving its traditional character.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “The A-list landlords: Celebrity-owned pubs across the UK that are worth a visit, from Jeremy Clarkson’s Cotswolds inn to Daniel Craig’s haunted London boozer”.