The Crosse Keys Weatherspoons
The Crosse Keys is a vast former banking hall turned pub, set in the old London headquarters of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation at 9 Gracechurch Street, opened in 1913 and designed by W. Campbell Jones. The pub takes its name from an earlier inn, The Crosse Keys, which stood nearby from the 16th century, serving as both a major coaching inn and an early theatre where companies like Shakespeare’s Chamberlain’s Men performed before purpose‑built playhouses existed.
Located by the entrance to Leadenhall Market on the site of the Roman forum, the pub is surrounded by layers of City history – from medieval markets and Dick Whittington’s lead‑roofed mansion to the rise of coffee‑house “penny universities” that evolved into modern finance and institutions like the Royal Exchange, Lloyd’s and the Stock Exchange. Inside, Wetherspoon’s displays frame this story: the growth of London’s markets and livery companies, the careers of figures such as Daniel Defoe and Sir Thomas Gresham, and the global story of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, whose need for a grand London presence created the impressive space visitors enjoy today.
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Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking CorporationThe Crosse Keys pub occupies the former London headquarters of the Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation, a grand banking hall opened in 1913 and designed by W. Campbell Jones.
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Shakespeare’s company performed plays in the courtyardShakespeare’s company, the Chamberlain’s Men, performed plays in the courtyard of the original Crosse Keys inn before dedicated theatres like the Globe were built.
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Links to ancient historyEntrance to Leadenhall Market opposite the pub sits on the site of Roman London’s forum and basilica, later evolving into a medieval market for poultry, cloth, leather and meat.
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Keys of HeavenThe Crosse Keys name comes from the “Keys of Heaven” held by St Peter, reflected in the old inn’s sign and now in the modern pub’s identity.
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Associated with a famous clownsRichard Tarlton, one of Elizabethan England’s most famous clowns, was closely associated with the Crosse Keys and nearby taverns, performing in their inn‑yard theatres
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Largest space linked to old BankingThe current building was created to house “one of the largest spaces on one floor devoted to banking in the City of London,” a scale that explains the pub’s impressive, cathedral‑like interior today.
