Our History
The story of The Duke NW3We can trace the origins of The Duke as a pub back to around 1721.
It's thought that the pub was named after the fourth Duke of Hamilton, who died fighting his cousin, Baron Mohun, in a duel in Hyde Park in 1712. The two disagreed over who should inherit their uncle's valuable Scottish estate, and the duel was so scandalous that it led to a complete ban on duelling in the country.
Further down the line, the pub became a notorious gathering point for pub-loving actors Peter O'Toole, Richard Burton and Oliver Reed, who were often found holding court in a cosy corner of the pub, or propping up the bar.
The pub was listed as an asset of community value in 2015, after successful petitions by over 800 local residents. It came on the market in 2018 after a colourful, and slightly turbulent, few years, and was reopened in 2019 as part of the Loci Pubs family.
