The Wrestlers

Photos and First Impressions

Streetside View

View from across North Road

The Bar

Side Room

Front Room

Fireplace

Chronicling from the Barstool

 

Like the Spaniards Inn, the Wrestlers lies in a wealthy suburb of London. Even though it’s outside the city center, Highgate is still easily reachable via tube or bus, an accessibility I’ve come to appreciate during my increasingly sprawling crawl of London pubs.

 

The Wrestlers is an absolute gem. Perhaps more than any other locale I’ve visited, it embodies what I envision as the archetypal pub. That begins with its outside appearance. The two-story building is brick on bottom, with a sort of white stucco on top, featuring symmetrical twin gables and bay windows. The signage is simple and plain, with just a dash of ornateness thrown in via the crest. I can’t explain it. The building just has a welcoming facade to my eyes.

 

The inside delivers on the outside’s promise. When I walked in, the first thing I took note of wasn’t the long, L-shaped bar at the room’s center. No, it was a much smaller detail: Each table featured a large, plain white candle—all of them lit. On their own they set a mood, but combined with the gentle lighting from both the dim bulbs and the late afternoon sun, it was just perfect. Not the dark, dungeon-like feel of some older pubs. Not the oppressive, neon cacophony of the modern bar. Goldilocks incarnate.

 

The open layout seemed highly versatile as well. Along one side was a row of tables, with chairs on one end and bench seating on the other. A plaid, cloth cushioning was recessed into the wall amidst the wood paneling as a back for the benches, a subtle and comfortable touch. A series of smaller tables were scattered about the front near the bay windows, some with wooden chairs, but others butting up against sofas or upholstered armchairs. Add in the smoldering fireplace, and it feels almost like you’re sitting in a friend’s home.

 

Basically, they got it right. And why shouldn’t they considering the time they’ve had to perfect it? The pub dates to 1547, though the current building is much newer. The name of the pub supposedly derives from a strange tradition called the swearing on the horns. Here’s how they describe it:

Swearing on the Horns is a farcical oath that was traditionally given to visitors at various pubs in the London suburb of Highgate during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The oath consists of a series of statements read by a clerk, confirming one’s dedication to merriment and debauchery; those being sworn in would agree to each statement, kiss or salute a set of horns, and be entered in a logbook for posterity. The Wrestlers is a regular spot, with some horns and a plaque of the oath on the wall – should the urge to swear ever come over you to join us.

Presumably part of that merriment and debauchery at one point involved wrestling, hence the moniker. The pub still conducts the ceremony twice a year, proudly displaying the horns above the fireplace mantle.

 

Also in the pub’s founding year of 1547…

• Edward VI succeeds Henry VIII to rule England.
• Ivan the Terrible crowns himself first tsar of Russia.
• Henry II ascends to the French throne.
• Duchy of Brittany unites with French kingdom.
• Charles V’s Catholic forces defeat Lutherans at the Battle of Mühlberg.

 

On Draught

 

Boltmaker

Timothy Taylor

4% ABV

 

This one is actually a bitter, which I didn’t pick up on at first taste. To me, that’s a good thing, as I typically don’t like this style. It’s smooth and malty, yet also a bit hoppy. It almost tastes like an easy-drinking IPA.