Welcome to The Grey Horse

Welcome to the Grey Horse, one of London's premier live music venues. Make yourself comfortable and check out the site, have a look at the gig guide, and remember there are two venues in one here, so there are often two gigs going on at the same time. Try the new 'find a band' function which helps you find whether a particular band has a gig booked in yet, have a peek through the ever-changing rogues gallery at some of 'the faces' you might find here and then drop me a line if you want to play here or if you want me to put you on the mailing list which keeps you in touch with last minute gigs, especially in the Crack Comedy Club.

Our bar is staffed by friendly, young people, highly trained in the art of pouring a pint and chatting to you at the same time. We do try to be a little bit different but we never forget that your time in our pub will, hopefully, make you want to come back again.

The Grey Horse is a 200yd walk from both Kingston Train Station and the bus station, and there is car parking nearby. So whether you like indi, blues, jazz, comedy or just a good pint and a chat, come and pay us a visit. You won't regret it!

History

Kingston claims (along with Winchester) to be the ancient capital of England. The Anglo-Saxon Kings were crowned within its walls, hence its name, Kings Town. A market has been held here since mediaeval times and there are some 16th Century buildings still standing.

The Grey Horse is the oldest of the four Youngs pubs in Kingston and was built in 1849. It was originally owned by George Nightingale, brewer at the local Nightingale Steam Brewery and Mayor of Kingston in 1846. The brewery and its pubs were sold in 1891. Young's took over the Grey Horse but the brewery buildings were bought by Kingston Corporation and demolished to make way for the borough's first council house scheme.

The pub's early history is a bit hazy but it is known to have always been a popular watering hole for locals. The delights of crib, billiards and dominoes were passed over in the '50's for the trend towards live jazz. The Grey Horse established itself as one of London's premier jazz venues. The jazz influence lasted twenty years or so until pop reared its head and slowly overtook in popularity. The venue now hosts all genres of music from jazz/funk to blues and rock to suit all ages in a seperate air conditioned room.