Daniel Craig, the former James Bond actor, has purchased the Horseshoe, an 18th-century pub in Clerkenwell, central London, with three friends, including Soho House founder Nick Jones and restaurateur Charlie Carroll. The 58-year-old actor only learned after the sale that the pub is reportedly haunted by the ghost of hangman Gilbert.
Craig, who grew up in pubs throughout his childhood, said he enjoys the 'performative' aspect of running one. 'People used to party quite hard,' he told The Times. 'As a kid I'd get to go down and talk to the locals, especially at lunchtime, and it was always about the day, what's going on. It's an outlet for people to come and talk about stuff.'
Keeping the ghost at bay
Referring to the legend that leaving a pint of ale in the basement keeps the ghost at bay, Craig joked: 'I don't know what he drinks but we might have to leave a pint down there . . . "Here you are Gilbert".'
The new owners take over from Pauline Tucker, who was landlady alongside her husband Richard for 36 years. Of the ghost, she said: 'You don't see him. You feel him.'
Plans for the pub
Craig has vowed to keep the Horseshoe 'as a boozer' and only 'spruce it up' a little, with plans to introduce a dining room upstairs. He is not the only celebrity pub owner; Sir Ian McKellen owns the Grapes in Limehouse, Ed Sheeran owns the Bertie Blossoms tapas bar in Notting Hill, and James Blunt runs the Carpenters Arms in Hammersmith and owns the Fox & Pheasant in Chelsea.
Craig's tenure as Bond ended in 2021. Since then, he has led the Knives Out franchise as detective Benoit Blanc and appeared in the romantic drama Queer.
