The Horseshoe is expected to reopen in late 2027, with an upstairs restaurant and plans to preserve its traditional pub character.

Daniel Craig is becoming a London publican. The former James Bond actor has joined a partnership taking over The Horseshoe in Clerkenwell, an eighteenth-century pub preparing for a substantial refurbishment.

Joining him are Soho House founder Nick Jones, restaurateur Charlie Carroll, whose ventures include Flat Iron and The Devonshire, and Justin O’Shea, creative director of the Bad Belze beer brand launched with Craig.

The change of ownership follows the departure of Richard and Pauline Tucker, who ran The Horseshoe for 36 years. The pub closed on October 9, 2026, ending their long tenure. In a farewell message to customers, the couple thanked the community for decades of friendship and support.

The Horseshoe in Clerkenwell Close has been a traditional backstreet boozer and a home of darts for 36 years under landlords Pauline and Richard Tucker but they are retiring after the pub was sold (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

For returning regulars, the biggest question will be what survives the refurbishment. The plans include a restaurant upstairs, with a terrace also under consideration. Craig has said he wants to retain the establishment’s identity as a traditional pub—a familiar setting for an actor whose parents and grandparents worked as publicans.

One piece of local folklore has already attracted attention: Gilbert, the ghost said to occupy the cellar. According to former landlady Pauline Tucker, who told The Times, the supposed resident was once a hangman. Craig responded playfully, suggesting a pint could be left downstairs for him. The tale adds to the pub’s character, though it remains a ghost story rather than a fact.

The Horseshoe’s reopening is currently expected in late 2027. For now, visitors will have to wait to see how the new owners balance a larger dining offer with the atmosphere that made it a longstanding neighborhood local.

Address: The Horseshoe, 24 Clerkenwell Close, London EC1R 0AG.