James Bond's latest acquisition isn't an Aston Martin — it's a pub. Daniel Craig has reportedly bought a roughly 250-year-old London public house, and alongside the centuries-old timber and ales comes an extra resident: a ghost said to be named Gilbert.
A full visit to the original write-up wasn't possible when we checked — the page only served a bot-verification screen — so the detail available is thin on specifics like the pub's exact name and neighbourhood. What the headline captures, though, is a very London story: an A-list actor putting money into one of the city's historic boozers, complete with the kind of paranormal folklore that old pubs here tend to accrue. Ghost stories are practically a standard fixture of any pub that has survived a few centuries, and this one, dating back around 250 years (so likely to the mid-1700s), apparently has its own resident spirit by name.
Craig is far from the first famous face to take the pub-owner route. London's historic pubs have long attracted celebrity and wealthy buyers, partly because they're charming, characterful buildings and partly because they anchor a neighbourhood. That said, the capital's pub trade is tough — costs are high, margins thin, and heritage buildings expensive to maintain — so buying one is as much a labour of love as a business move.
For travellers, the takeaway is less about celebrity gossip and more about what it signals: London's old pubs remain prized, protected and very much worth building into a visit. A 250-year-old pub is the kind of place where you get low ceilings, uneven floors, a fireplace and stories stacked deeper than the cellar. Whether or not Gilbert makes an appearance, pubs of this vintage are among the most atmospheric spots in the city for an evening pint — and usually serve a better pub lunch than their tourist-trap rivals.
Until more concrete details emerge (opening plans, refurbishments, or whether the public can actually pull up a stool), treat this as a reason to seek out the capital's centuries-old pubs rather than a specific bar to add to your itinerary. If the venue opens to the public, expect queues of Bond fans and ghost-hunters alike — so keep an eye on local listings.
For now, the story is a reminder of how much character is packed into London's pub heritage — and that even 007 can't resist it. Full details come via Secret London.
