The Pub it Took Almost 20 Years to Find

Back in 1999 while I was working in Chicago, I had one of my urges to visit London again and I asked a long time friend of mine who lived a little further south in my home town of Quincy Illinois if she wanted to go with me.  It was just a short five day trip but, she hadn't been before and I was itching to go back so off we went.
My friend was told by one of her work clients that she should visit a pub called The Grenadier.  He said it was the perfect English pub to visit.  I even found the pub marked on my trusty "MapGuide" so it looked like it would be easy to locate it.  I was wrong, we walked and walked in the rain up and down the designated street and saw nothing but homes and a few foreign embassies.  Sadly, we decided to give up the search.  We were disappointed that we couldn't find the place and I was especially disappointed in my usually reliable "MapGuide".
On my next trip to London, I remembered the mysterious pub and once again tried to find the place with the exact same results.  I finally decided that this place must be some secret pub possibly with one of those doors with the sliding window where you have to give them a password to get in.

On my last trip to London just last year at this time, I was in that same neighborhood one evening so I decided to give it one more try.  I walked back and forth on that same street just like I had done before but, this time I stopped at what looked like a driveway leading to a large home shrouded in trees.  At the edge of the  "driveway" was a sign that said "Private Drive".

I thought to myself 'do I dare walk down there?'  I decided the worse that could happen is that someone would tell me to leave so I slowly headed down the cobblestone drive only to find that it curved around a corner that was invisible from the street.  As I rounded the curve I could see lights up ahead and as I approached I saw that it was indeed that illusive pub.

I went inside to find a pub full of people enjoying food and drinks and each other's company.  I went up to the bar and ordered a glass of wine and I told the young lady serving me that it had taken me almost 20 years to find this place.  She laughed and said "yes, it is a hard place to find".  I took my drink and found the only empty stool available near a window and as I sat down.  I suddenly realized that the young lady behind the bar was probably a toddler when my friend and I first tried to find this place.  That was a rather sobering dash of reality that I decided to wash down with my glass of wine.  To make it more enjoyable, I called my friend in Illinois to tell her exactly where I was at that very moment.

The Grenadier was originally built in 1720 as an Officers Mess for the First Royal Regiment of Foot Guards and it is said to be named after a young Grenadier affectionately known as Ceric.

There is a story that says that Ceric was caught cheating at cards one night in September and was beaten to death for his sin.  Apparently the pub experiences some rather eerie supernatural events during the month of September and it is thought that Ceric is paying an anniversary visit.  Because of these events, The Grenadier is listed as one of London's most haunted pubs.  In fact, visitors have been leaving money tacked to the ceiling in a effort to pay back the young Grenadier's debt.

I happened to be there on September 26th and although I don't recall any strange events, perhaps it was that wayward Grenadier who guided me down that "private" drive in hopes that I would contribute to the pool to pay his debt.  That's possible, isn't it?

You can read the full story of The Grenadier by clicking the link to the pub's website above.