The St. Stephen's Tavern is the closest pub to Big Ben situated right opposite the Houses of Parliament. Originally built in 1873 and then refurbished in 2003 after being closed for 15 years, many of the original fittings have been bought back to use including a division bell which rings giving a warning sign to MPs and Lords, that there are just a few minutes to cast their vote in parliamentary debates.The call announces 8 minutes to return to the chamber!
St. Stephen's Tavern is the closest pub to Big Ben situated on the corner of a cobbled street in the centre of London, where the likes of Winston Churchill and Stanley Baldwin (prime minister three times between 1923 and 1937) used to take a tipple. In the modern day the pub is still popular with locals, tourist, journalists and back-benchers. The pub is also a desirable spot for film and TV producers, with its intricate decoration, oak panelling and carpets (which are all in the same style as parliament itself) as well as the clear shot through the window, framing Big Ben’s clocktower.
This very traditional pub was first built in the 1800s as a Victorian tavern and one of five pubs in parliament square. It was demolished to make way for the Westminster tube station in 1868. When it was rebuilt, it was made to incorporate the Queens Head next door, and St Stephens became the tavern we know today.
