6 Belgrave Mews West, SW1X 8HT
Nearest tube: Knightsbridge 0.4 miles
Nearest attraction: Hyde Park 0.4 miles
Historical interest: 8/10
Cosiness quotient: 7/10
The Star Tavern, Belgravia
The Hook
Here we have yet another pub that feels – and acts – like a private house in its own little enclave. Situated through an archway in a quiet, cobbled mews and flanked by pretty white houses, the Star is an attractive haven that feels light years away from the bustle of central London.
The history
EST: mid 19th century. Monarch: Victoria.
Like the Nag’s Head and the Punchbowl, The Star catered for 19th century servants who worked in the posh Belgravia houses nearby. But it wasn’t until the 1960s that this quiet mews tavern became a pub where history really happened.
The Star is infamous for being the place where the Great Train Robbery was planned. Masterminded by Bruce Reynolds and carried out in 1963, this daring heist was one of the most audacious robberies of our time. And weirdly, we British have developed a soft spot for its perpetrators and prefer to think of them as cheeky chappies with their eye on the main chance rather than the violent criminals they actually were.
Members of the gang thrashed out the finer details of their plot upstairs at the Star in groups of no more than four to avoid arousing suspicion. And they probably felt quite at home at the pub, whose other customers were an eclectic mix of wrong-doers and celebrities all co-existing happily on the edge.
The Star’s celebrity line-up included Bing Crosby, Princess Margaret, Peter O’Toole and Diana Dors and the wrong-doers – like the Great Train Robbers – all held a curiously retro glamour. Instead of being branded as felons, rogues and vagabonds they tended to be described more romantically as art thieves, safe-crackers and cat burglars. And come to think of it, whatever happened to the cat burglar? Why do we no longer hear about light-footed men dressed in black turtlenecks leaping from roof to roof, breaking into buildings and leaving behind the odd box of chocolates?
In fact not one, but two cat burglars used to drink at the Star. George “Taters” Chatham (don’t ask) and Peter Scott worked both individually and as a team, each with their own modus operandi. During his 60-year career George Chatham stole furs, artwork, jewellery and on one occasion, the Duke of Wellington’s ceremonial swords. He also spent six weeks in hospital after falling four floors from the future Raine Spencer’s roof in a bungled burglary. And in 1982 he attempted to rob the Victoria and Albert museum via the roof – aged 70 – but had to abandon the operation due to a blizzard.
It was Chatham who taught Peter Scott the craft of cat burglary after meeting him in prison. Scott specialised in stealing from high-profile celebrities including Lauren Bacall, Judy Garland, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Vivien Leigh and Elizabeth Taylor.
He famously popped into the Star after stealing a £200,000 necklace from Italian film star Sophia Loren, announcing to fellow patrons: “I hear poor Sophia has been robbed” before extracting a huge roll of banknotes from his pocket. Scott liked to bamboozle the people he robbed with his nerve and style: when disturbed at work he would call out to his victim: “It’s only me” – and astonishingly would then be left in peace to carry on with the job.
The ambiance
Tucked in its own pretty mews, the Star is a pleasant bolthole away from the rather bland Belgravia mansions. The wooden floors, shabby furnishings and memorabilia-covered walls give it the air of a proper pub and the staff are friendly and pleasant.
Inside the Star Tavern (before the lunchtime crowds)
The other stuff
Brewery: Fullers
Open 11am-11pm Monday-Friday, noon-11pm Saturday; noon-10.30pm Sunday
Food: From noon-3pm and 5pm-10pm Monday-Friday, all day Saturday and Sunday
Pies, roasts and proper puddings are among the food options at The Star. And you can book a private event upstairs in the very room where the Great Train Robbery was planned.
http://www.star-tavern-belgravia.co.uk
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Visit: King Who? for more info about the monarchs mentioned in this blog.
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Where London's history happened - in the pub 