Records show that an Inn was built on this site in the early 18th century. The current building was adopted as the Japanese Ambassador’s house and was linked to the embassy via an underground tunnel. Following the First World War, it returned to use as a public house. In 1976 a terrorist attack on the hotel next door resulted in a spray of bullets hitting the pub.

Customers and staff bravely fought back using bottles and glasses! A bullet hole can still be seen in the panelling around the ground floor hoist. In his best seller ‘Sunbirds’, Wilbur Smith mentions having a nice pint in the Barley Mow. The Barley Mow cannot fail to impress even the most discerning of pub lovers. Take a moment to enjoy a relaxed pint after pounding the pavements of nearby Oxford Street.