The Culpeper

Book a stay at The Culpeper

Booking route

Bookable direct or via major booking sites

Checked October 2026. Pubs change hands, hours change, policies change — always confirm anything that matters, especially the dog policy and kitchen days, directly with the pub before you book. Run this pub? Confirm or correct these details.

A bit of history

The corner building of 1883 replaced a compact pub built in 1846 when Commercial Street was cut through, and traded as the Princess Alice for much of its life. It was damaged in the Second World War and reduced by two storeys, was renamed the City Darts in 1985, and reopened in 2014 as the Culpeper.

Source: Survey of London (surveyoflondon.org, 40-42 Commercial Street entry); The Culpeper's own site, https://www.theculpeper.com/about/

Stories & legends

• On record: The pub is named after Nicholas Culpeper (1616-54), the Spitalfields herbalist and physician who published his English-language herbal for ordinary people. He died in 1654 at his house in Red Lion Fields, which later became the Red Lion tavern and was swept away when Commercial Street was cut through in the 1840s. The pub is named for him rather than built on his house, and we have not found a source placing the house on this exact corner. Source: London Remembers, Red Lion House entry (citing Spitalfields Life); Survey of London
• Disputed: The old Princess Alice is reported to have been the last place Frances Coles was seen alive before she was murdered in Swallow Gardens, near Leman Street, in February 1891. Whether she was a Jack the Ripper victim is long disputed: some at the time thought so, but the police did not link her death to the earlier Whitechapel murders, and a man was charged and then freed. A contributor to the Survey of London also notes that, like most pubs round here, it features in Ripper tales. Source: jack-the-ripper-tour.com, Princess Alice pub page; Survey of London contributor notes

Character

Gastropub

Menu style

Not confirmed

Booking model

Not confirmed — ask when you book the room

Source: Pub's own site: pub lunch Monday to Saturday, restaurant dinner Monday to Saturday, Sunday roast in both. Menu not reviewed. — checked October 2026

Other pubs with rooms near Shoreditch and the East End

Straight-line distances, so allow longer by road.

• The Buxton

  Shoreditch and the East End · next door

  15 rooms. Dogs in the rooms not confirmed.

• The Bull & Hide

  The City and Smithfield · about 0.3 miles

  10 rooms. No dogs in the rooms.

• The Counting House

  The City and Smithfield · about 0.6 miles

  15 rooms. No dogs in the rooms.

Questions people ask about The Culpeper

Can dogs join you at dinner at The Culpeper?

No — dogs aren't allowed in the restaurant at dinner at The Culpeper. Dogs are welcome in the bar, though, so ask if food is served there if you want to eat together.

Does The Culpeper serve food every day?

Yes — the kitchen at The Culpeper is open every day.