12 pubs. 60 pints. A whole lot of blanks.
The World’s End is the final entry in Edgar Wright’s Cornetto Trilogy, a series of unrelated films starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.
If you’re keen to complete the Golden Mile pub crawl from the movie, you’ll need a lot of water, a train ticket, and a little imagination.
Image Credit: Laurie Sparham/Focus Features
The World’s End filming locations
Because The World’s End filming locations aren’t all real pubs and aren’t all located in the same town, you can’t recreate The World’s End’s Golden Mile pub crawl pint-for-pint.
But can you really say you’ve visited the UK without doing a pub crawl through England?
We’ll do you a solid: below is a list of all 12 pubs from The World's End and their real-life filming locations. For the “pubs” that don’t actually exist, we’ll suggest an alternative and list their closest train stations so you can safely abandon your sobriety as you ride the rails to the conclusion of the Cornetto Trilogy.
1. “The First Post”
Real location: Pear Tree Inn | Welwyn Garden City
Closest station: Welwyn Garden City
Closest pub: Pear Tree Inn
Fantastic news: you can start your The World’s End pub crawl at the real First Post. The Pear Tree Inn is a real inn with a pub serving up tasty Indian food.
2. “The Old Familiar”
Real location: Doctors Tonic/Pear Tree Inn | Welwyn Garden City
Closest station: Welwyn Garden City
Closest pub: Pear Tree Inn
If The Old Familiar looks, well, familiar, that’s because its interiors were also filmed within the Pear Tree Inn. The exterior of Doctors Tonic, a pub just a few steps from the train station, portrayed the facade of The Old Familiar.
3. "The Famous Cock"
Real location: The Two Willows | Welwyn Garden City
Closest station: Welwyn Garden City
Closest pub: The Two Willows
We’re 3 for 3 to start The World’s End pub crawl. The Two Willows, a stumble from Doctors Tonic, is a pub on Howardsgate.
Image Credit: Laurie Sparham/Focus Features
4. "The Cross Hands"
Real location: Parkway Bar | Welwyn Garden City
Closest station: Welwyn Garden City
Closest pub: The Two Willows
Our first dud: The Cross Hands was filmed in Parkway Bar, which is now closed. The closest pub is back at The Two Willows, which is around the corner. If all that matters on this pub crawl is the presence of booze, then Misya Meze & Grill beside the former Parkway Bar location serves alcohol.
5. "The Good Companions"
Real location: The Wenlock Arms | London
Closest station: Old Street
Closest pub: The Wenlock Arms
Exterior shots for The Good Companions are from Letchworth Garden City on Leys Avenue, with the closest bar being Cultivo Lounge. However, the interiors of Pub No5 from The World’s End were filmed all the way back in London at The Wenlock Arms, a traditional English pub.
6. "The Trusty Servant"
Real location: The Three Magnets | Letchworth Garden City
Closest station: Letchworth Garden City
Closest pub: The Three Magnets
Exterior shots for The Trusty Servant is the facade of the real Three Magnets - JD Wetherspoon in Letchworth. We’d suggest drinking there instead of going all the way to Borehamwood where The Director’s Arms staged the interior shots.
7. "The Two-Headed Dog"
Real location: The Platform | Letchworth Garden City
Closest station: Letchworth Garden City
Closest pub: The Platform
Right across the street from Letchworth Garden City train station, you’ll find The Platform: the pub that doubled as The Two-Headed Dog in The World’s End.
8. "The Mermaid"
Real location: Broadway Cinema & Theatre | Letchworth Garden City
Closest station: Letchworth Garden City
Closest pub: The Arena Tavern
Exterior shots for The Mermaid were captured at Broadway Cinema & Theatre. We suggest staying here as opposed to going all the way to Chalfont Saint Giles, where the interior shots were created at a former college in Newlands Park. The Arena Tavern is technically the closest pub; but since that’s another The World’s End filming location, grab a drink in the theatre instead.
Image Credit: Laurie Sparham/Focus Features
9. "The Beehive"
Real location: Thai Garden | Letchworth Garden City
Closest station: Letchworth Garden City
Closest pub: The Arena Tavern
Only the exterior of Thai Garden in Letchworth was used for The Beehive pub; the interiors were studio-shot. The bad news is that Thai Garden is closed; the good news is that The Arena Tavern and Broadway Cinema & Theatre are right across the street. We’d suggest going to Downtown Bar & Grill — near The Arena Tavern — to ensure you get the proper dozen for The World’s End pub crawl.
10. "The King’s Head"
Real location: The Arena Tavern | Letchworth Garden City
Closest station: Letchworth Garden City
Closest pub: The Arena Tavern
We’re back on track with The King’s Head; or as it’s known in real life, The Arena Tavern.
11. "The Hole in the Wall"
Real location: Letchworth Garden City Railway Station | Letchworth Garden City
Closest station: Letchworth Garden City
Closest pub: The Platform
Naturally our favorite The World’s End filming location on the list, the Letchworth Garden City railway station was used for the exterior of The Hole in the Wall. The rest of the interior was built in a studio because, well, such a disturbance would certainly delay the trains. Since The Platform is the closest pub, and you’ve already sipped a pint there, head a few steps down the street and have a beer at Crafty’s Beer Shop instead.
12. "The World’s End"
Real location: The Wilbury | Letchworth Garden City
Closest station: Letchworth Garden City
Closest pub: The Wilbury
You’ve finally made it to The World’s End at the final filming location on our The World’s End pub crawl. Grab yourself a celebratory drink at The Wilbury and sober up on the one-mile walk back to the Letchworth Garden City train station.
Image Credit: Laurie Sparham/Focus Features
Let’s boo-boo.
Who is in The World’s End?
The World’s End brings together co-writer and director Edgar Wright with co-writers and stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost for one last comical jaunt with an apocalyptic skew. Familiar faces from Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz pop up, including Bill Nighy, Martin Freeman (Love Actually), and Paddy Considine (Peaky Blinders).
You’ll also spot Rosamund Pike (Saltburn), Michael Smiley (Luther), Pierce Brosnan (James Bond), David Bradley (Harry Potter), Eddie Marsan (V for Vendetta), and Alice Lowe (Paddington).
What is The World’s End about?
A pub crawl. Aliens. Reclaiming fleeting youth despite the tides of today weathering the relics of yesterday. The World’s End, like all of the movies in the Cornetto Trilogy, has serious messages behind its gags.
Gary, played by Simon Pegg, convinces his childhood friends to reunite in their hometown to complete an epic pub crawl that they failed as teens. But when they return home to Newton Haven, they discover that the town has been taken over by aliens.
Why is it called the Cornetto Trilogy?
A cornetto is an Italian ice cream that you’d find in a freezer at a convenience store. In Shaun of the Dead, Ed asks Shaun to grab him one from the shop, which prompted a real-life cornetto celebration for the cast at the film premiere. Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg decided to include a cornetto reference in Hot Fuzz, hoping they’d get more free cornettos at the following premier party. Cornettos were namedropped again in The World’s End, thus giving the franchise the unofficial title of “The Cornetto Trilogy”.
Where was The World’s End movie filmed?
The World’s End was filmed in England, primarily between Letchworth and Welwyn. Unfortunately, some of the filming locations for the twelve pubs were stitched together with different interior and exterior locations — many of which aren’t actual pubs.
What is a pub crawl?
A pub crawl is a visit to multiple pubs within a single night, typically to those which are located either next door or close to one another. A pub crawl in England can be planned or spontaneous: locals may meet up at one bar then plan the night on the fly while a tourist might join a haunted pub crawl that has specific stops.
If you’re keen to see this through to the bitter end (or the lager end), we’re right beside you. Download the Trainline app and visit these pubs near The World’s End filming locations in Letchworth, London, Welwyn, and Chalfont Saint Giles on your next UK visit.
Header Image Credit: Laurie Sparham/Focus Features
