The claim
Behind a narrow Holborn frontage opens a startling baronial hall, with high timber roof, giant vats in a gallery and a row of intimate wooden drinking booths. The Cittie of Yorke claims a tavern here since 1430; what survives is a theatrical 1920s rebuild over older cellars, warmed by a Regency triangular stove reputedly from Gray's Inn.
What the records show
The claim is made on the pub's own sign — 'Established as the site of a public house in 1430' — which On London quotes; Samuel Smith's, which runs the house, publishes no date on its website. The claim is not supported by a cited record. The cellars are associated with a 17th-century coffee house and the present building is a 1920s Tudor-style rebuild.
| Year | What | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1430 | Claimed founding | The pub |
| c.1923 | Present building | Building fabric |
What to look for inside
- Vast hall-like back bar with cubicle booths
- Triangular stove of c.1815 said to come from Gray's Inn
- CAMRA three-star historic interior
- Samuel Smith's pub near Chancery Lane
Visiting
Cittie of Yorke is in London, England, at 22 High Holborn, London WC1V 6BN. We do not list opening times, because they change; the pub’s own site is the place to check before you set out.
Sources
- camra.org.uk/pubs/cittie-of-yorke-london-125495
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cittie_of_Yorke
- www.onlondon.co.uk/vic-keegan-the-long-bar-and-longer-backstory-of-high-holborns-cittie-of-yorke/
- ratings.food.gov.uk/business/1660829
- opendata.camden.gov.uk/Business/Camden-Licensing-Register/rv9z-rsui
Know something we don’t?Suggest a correctionLast checked Oct 2026
Run this pub? There is a badge for it
Free to put on your own site, no permission needed. It shows what the pub claims and what the records support, and it changes when the data does.
How to use it, and how to change what it says — if you have a document we have not seen, we would like to read it.
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