Need to know
Rooms
Seven rooms.
Check–Out
11am. Earliest check-in, 3pm, latest, 11pm.
More details
Rates are room-only, but an à la carte breakfast is available on weekends.
Also
Nothing makes us want to belt out ‘food, glorious food’ like a musical urchin more than the menu at the Bull. Do we dare try such culinary wizardry ourselves? Well, armed with the Bull & Last’s trusty cookbook, we’ll give smoked-haddock macaroni, banana sticky-toffee pudding, pheasant schnitzel club sandwiches and even those gooey-in-the-middle Scotch eggs (don’t worry, if it goes wrong the book contains a voucher for one in the pub too). You can also buy a tote bag to show off on the Heath and the bespoke Woodsome toiletries, named for the road the inn sits on and created in much the same way they devise their dreamy menu.
Hotel closed
The pub and hotel close from the 24 to 26 December.
At the hotel
Pub, dining room, seasonal outdoor seating, free-to-hire tennis rackets and pétanque kits, Brompton bikes to hire (plus a helmet and lock) for an extra charge, and free WiFi. In rooms: 32-inch LG TV, Roberts radio, Nespresso machine and Volcano coffee from Brixton, Tea Drop tea, minibar filled with gourmet treats from indie producers and pre-mixed cocktails from the pub, cocktail-making kit, free WiFi, air-conditioning and bespoke Woodsome skincare products.
Our favourite rooms
We love the way each room lets you in on a little local history in the subtlest of ways, say a certain Farrow & Ball colour, a visual clue in the artwork or a certain material. Keats’ lonely wanderings over Hampstead Heath may be well documented and the room dedicated to him has a framed book of poetry, but it’s some of the lesser-told stories that are all the more engaging. Say, that of slave daughter turned heiress Dido Belle who grew up in Kenwood House; or that of Ruth Ellis who was the last woman hanged in Britain for shooting her husband dead, which happened just down the road at the Magdala Tavern. And, there’s artwork with special meaning to the pub or from local creatives hanging in each, so, whichever you stay in you’ll experience some of Hampstead’s colour. Keats might be smaller, but it’s light and bright with a sense of the poet’s romantic nature. And, large attic rooms Faraday and Mansfield are among our favourites for their freestanding Catchpole & Rye bath tubs.
Packing tips
With London’s notoriously capricious weather, you might think that a swimsuit is simply a waste of suitcase space. But, there are a surprising number of swimmable areas close to the pub: the lido and the Heath’s bathing ponds (which poet Shelley once sailed paper boats over). Locals dip even when the weather’s brisk, so pack your Speedos and take the plunge. The rooms at the pub have ingenious ways of storing things, say hooks for coats and bags and a space under the bed for stashing suitcases – there’s room for those 270mm in height, so give yours a measure before you leave.
Also
Leave your thoughts in the Bull & Last cookbook in your room, which acts as a guestbook.
Pet‐friendly
Pets are welcomed like old friends on the ground floor of the pub, but only those with two legs can stay overnight for now. See more pet-friendly hotels in London.
Children
In each room except Ellis and Keats, a baby cot can be added for an additional £15 a day. Faraday and Mansfield have the most space for families, and children are welcome in the downstairs pub (there’s a stash of highchairs if needed).
Sustainability efforts
The owners have been heavily influenced by the nose-to-tail dining movement, so produce is local (often hyperlocal) and seasonal, and they’re familiar with local foragers. They’re huge champions of London’s independent suppliers, especially those with an eco ethos. The drinks list is littered with picks from native breweries, capsules from Brixton’s Volcano Coffee Works are vegan-friendly and fully compostable, their bespoke bath products are plant-based, handmade bathroom tiles come from Shoreditch, and their recyclable beds are made by the UK’s first carbon-neutral manufacturer. Also commendable is their commitment to showcasing the area’s rich history.