9 Bristol pubs and how they got their names including The Bulldog and The Wackum Inn
These much-loved city pubs have interesting stories behind their names
Bristol is home to many pubs which have withstood the test of time, serving customers for many years.
Most Bristolians will recognise these pubs, but do you know where their names come from?
From the Old Duke to The Lodekka, we’ve got the scoop on why the city’s watering holes have the names that they do.
So, here are the interesting stories behind nine of Bristol’s most loved pubs.
1. The Hole in the Wall
On the edge of Queen Square and close to the harbour, The Hole in the Wall was named after a spy hole that enabled 18th century sailors and smugglers to keep watch for customs men and press gangs. The pub was prime recruitment territory for the Navy, and men would wake up after an inebriated night to find themselves at sea.
2. Llandoger Trow
Dating from 1664, the Llandoger Trow in King Street is said to have inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write of the Admiral Benbow Inn in Treasure Island. The pub was owned by a former sailor who named it after Llandogo in Wales which built trows (flat-bottomed river boats).
3. The Lodekka
A Hungry Horse pub on Tramway Road, just off Bath Road, The Lodekka’s unusual name refers to a type of ‘low decker’ bus. Built by Bristol Commercial Vehicles, it was a step-free, low-height double decker and it went on to inspire the design of the famous red London bus.
4. Wackum Inn
These days a friendly community pub on Whitehall Road, the Wackum Inn’s unusual name originates from the time it was known as the Beatem and Wackem, which referred to local miners’ wives who used to come into the pub to “beatem & wackem” their husbands with rolling pins to stop them from spending all their wages and come home.