Former James Bond star Daniel Craig bought The Horseshoe, a 250-year-old pub in Clerkenwell, London, alongside Soho House founder Nick Jones, restaurateur Charlie Carroll, and Bad Belze creative director Justin O’Shea, before the historic venue closed on October 8, 2026, ahead of a year-long renovation.
Daniel Craig And Hospitality Heavyweights Buy The Horseshoe
Daniel Craig traded his fictional MI6 martinis for a permanent place behind the beer pumps. The 58-year-old actor, best known for his five-film tenure as 007 concluding in 2021 and his recent work in the Knives Out franchise, teamed up with a trio of hospitality veterans to purchase The Horseshoe in Clerkenwell, London.
The acquisition brings together a high-profile group of co-owners. Craig is joined by Nick Jones, founder of the global members’ club Soho House, who has been a friend of the actor for three decades. Also on the ownership team are Charlie Carroll, the founder of the Flat Iron steakhouse chain and co-creator of the Soho pub The Devonshire, alongside Justin O’Shea, creative director of the beer brand Bad Belze, which he and Craig launched earlier this year.
Located at 24 Clerkenwell Close, the establishment has hosted a pub on the site since 1748. The venue concluded its current era when previous landlords Pauline and Richard Tucker stepped down, handing over the keys after 36 years behind the bar.
Family Roots In Cheshire And Plans For A Traditional Boozer
The purchase marks Craig’s first formal venture into the pub trade. His parents previously ran the Ring O’Bells in Frodsham, Cheshire—the pub that inspired the name of his Bad Belze lager brand—while his grandparents owned an establishment in the center of Chester.
“As a kid I’d get to go down and talk to the locals, especially at lunchtime, and it was always about the day, what’s going on. It’s an outlet for people to come and talk about stuff, maybe their problems.”
Daniel Craig, via The Independent
The new owners committed to maintaining the building’s historic character rather than turning it into an upscale gastropub. According to The Morning Advertiser, the ground floor will preserve a classic pub setting with simple bar snacks, while the upstairs rooms—historically home to dart boards and, in the 1960s, Vernon Bell’s dojo where the British Karate Federation was founded—will be transformed into a dining room with a larger menu.
“You walk through the door and you go: ‘It’s a boozer!’ Obviously we’ll spruce it up but we’re going to keep it as a boozer … We’d love fancy people to come here and spend some money, but that’s not the aim. It’s to make it accessible for everybody and [so you don’t] have to worry about coming through the door.”
Daniel Craig, via The Times
Local Legend Claims Cellar Ghost Haunts Property
The new proprietors received an unexpected piece of local lore upon completing the purchase. Retiring landlady Pauline Tucker informed the incoming owners that the 250-year-old property comes with a cellar ghost named Gilbert, believed by local legend to be the spirit of a former hangman.
“You don’t see him. You feel him.”
Pauline Tucker, retiring landlady, via The Independent
According to the traditional tale, leaving a pint of ale in the basement keeps the phantom settled. Craig took the disclosure lightly, telling reporters that he might need to keep the cellar stocked.
“I don’t know what he drinks but we might have to leave a pint down there: ‘Here you are Gilbert’.”
Daniel Craig, via The Independent
The Horseshoe closed its doors on October 8, 2026. The partnership’s extensive refurbishment project is expected to take approximately a year, with a public reopening scheduled for late 2027.