The Olde Wine Shades

The Olde Wine Shades is a historic public house and wine bar on Martin Lane in the City of London. The building is generally dated to 1663 and is regarded as one of London's oldest surviving pubs. Its early history is associated with a merchants' house, reflecting the commercial and riverside character of the area in the seventeenth century. Like other substantial properties near the River Thames, it reportedly had a tunnel or river entrance that provided access from the waterfront. That passage was sealed following bomb damage during the Second World War, although the entrance remains visible. The pub is often discussed in connection with the Great Fire of London in 1666. A frequently repeated account says that the building survived the fire, but the available reference material presents this as an oft-quoted claim rather than as an independently established fact. Its significance is instead more securely reflected in its architectural and historic designation as a Grade II listed building. The Olde Wine Shades operates within the El Vino wine-bar business associated with Davy's Wine Merchants. Davy's acquired El Vino in 2015. In summer 2017, the premises underwent a major refurbishment intended to restore original architectural features and reopen the cellar bar area to visitors. The work connected the venue's modern role as a wine-focused hospitality business with its older building fabric and subterranean spaces. The venue's identity is therefore based less on a packaged consumer product than on a combination of wine service, pub hospitality, historic architecture, and location in the City of London. Its offering is understood to include wine, drinks, food, and pub services, although the available reference material does not provide a complete current menu or operating schedule. The pub has also acquired a place in popular culture: crime novelist Martha Grimes used the name of the pub as the title of one of her Richard Jury novels. Because public information supplied for this entry is limited and does not establish current management, trading status, detailed ownership structure, or a full product range, those fields remain conservative. The venue is best described as a historic London hospitality brand and listed public house rather than as a conventional packaged-wine brand.

The Olde Wine Shades occupies a historic building on Martin Lane in the City of London. The premises are dated to 1663 and are associated with the long tradition of taverns and merchants' houses serving the capital's commercial core. Its original function was reportedly connected to a merchants' house rather than solely to the public-house trade. The building's position near the River Thames was important to its early history: it is said to have possessed a tunnel or river entrance, a feature found in some larger riverside properties of the period. The building is frequently described as having survived the Great Fire of London in 1666. This statement is widely repeated in accounts of the pub, although it should be treated as a traditional claim rather than as a fully documented conclusion based on the supplied sources. The stronger and more formal recognition of the building's heritage is its Grade II listed status, which acknowledges its architectural and historic interest. The riverside passage continued to form part of the building's physical story into the twentieth century. During the Blitz in 1940, bomb damage affected the premises and the tunnel entrance was sealed. The entrance remained visible, preserving evidence of the building's former relationship with the river and its historic surroundings. In the modern hospitality era, The Olde Wine Shades became part of the El Vino wine-bar business. Davy's Wine Merchants acquired El Vino in 2015. The change in ownership placed the pub within a broader wine-focused hospitality group while retaining its individual historic identity. A major refurbishment took place in summer 2017. The project restored a number of original features and reopened the cellar bar area to the public, making the building's lower-level spaces part of the visitor experience once more. The pub's cultural profile extends beyond its physical history. Martha Grimes named one of her Richard Jury novels after The Olde Wine Shades, providing the venue with a reference point in contemporary crime fiction. Today, the establishment is best understood as a historic London pub and wine bar whose appeal combines drinks and hospitality with architectural heritage. The supplied sources do not establish its present opening status, current leadership, exact menu, or any later ownership changes, so those matters remain unconfirmed.

1. 2017Major refurbishment completed

   A major refurbishment restored original features and allowed the cellar bar to reopen to the public.

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2. 2015El Vino acquired by Davy's Wine Merchants

   Davy's Wine Merchants purchased El Vino, the wine-bar business connected with The Olde Wine Shades.

   Source
3. 1940Tunnel entrance sealed after Blitz damage

   Bomb damage during the Blitz led to the sealing of the building's former river tunnel entrance; the entrance remains visible.

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4. 1666Traditional Great Fire survival claim

   The pub is often said to have survived the Great Fire of London, although the supplied reference characterizes this as an oft-repeated claim.

   Source
5. 1663Building constructed

   The building now associated with The Olde Wine Shades was constructed in Martin Lane and is dated to 1663.

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A heritage-focused City of London pub and wine bar combining wine-led hospitality with a Grade II listed historic setting.

• Wine and wine-bar serviceAlcoholic beverages and hospitality

  Wine is central to the venue's identity as part of the El Vino business and Davy's Wine Merchants' hospitality network. The available sources identify the establishment as a wine bar and pub, but do not provide a verified current list of producers, appellations, vintages, or serving formats.

• Pub servicesHospitality

  The Olde Wine Shades provides the customary hospitality functions of a London public house, including drinks and a venue experience in a historic listed building. Specific food offerings, menus, prices, and current service arrangements are not established by the supplied references.

• Cellar barHospitality space2017

  The cellar bar is a distinctive part of the premises. Following the 2017 refurbishment, the area was made available to the public again, linking the venue's wine-bar proposition with its historic subterranean architecture.

• 2017Heritage-led refurbishment and cellar reopeningStrategy

  The historic building required refurbishment, and its cellar area had not been available to the public.

  What changed. A major summer refurbishment restored original features and reopened the cellar bar to visitors.

  Aftermath. The work reinforced the venue's positioning as a wine bar and pub built around historic architecture and heritage spaces.

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• 2015Acquisition of El Vino by Davy's Wine MerchantsM&A

  The Olde Wine Shades was operated within the El Vino wine-bar business, which was acquired by Davy's Wine Merchants.

  What changed. Davy's Wine Merchants purchased El Vino and incorporated the business into its wine and hospitality operations.

  Aftermath. The venue subsequently remained associated with the El Vino and Davy's Wine Merchants network. The supplied material does not specify transaction terms or later ownership changes.

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• 2017The Olde Wine Shades undergoes major refurbishment

  A substantial refurbishment restored original features and enabled the cellar bar area to be opened to the public again.

  Other
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• 2015Davy's Wine Merchants acquires El Vino

  Davy's Wine Merchants purchased El Vino, the wine-bar business associated with The Olde Wine Shades.

  M&A
  Source

1. The Olde Wine Shades
2. The Olde Wine Shades official site