Food & drink / Cambridge
The St Radegund
Cambridge's famously tiny King Street alehouse, bound up with the legendary King Street Run and revived as an independent community pub.
01 / Why it matters
More than a stop on a list.
The St Radegund is one of Cambridge's most distinctive pub experiences: a genuinely tiny alehouse with a century of local history and an outsized place in student folklore.
At the eastern end of King Street, the St Radegund compresses an extraordinary amount of Cambridge pub folklore into what is widely described as the city's smallest pub. The present public house emerged around the turn of the twentieth century close to the site of the earlier Garrick Inn and took its name from the saint associated with nearby Jesus College. It became the traditional start and finish of the King Street Run, the notorious student drinking challenge traced to a 1955 debate. After a long closure and an abortive 2024 revival, it reopened in January 2026 as an independent, cask-led community alehouse. Visit for the intimate scale, house ales and living King Street mythology rather than polished gastropub comforts.
02 / The essentials
What makes it remarkable.
- 01
It is widely described as the smallest pub in Cambridge.
- 02
The present pub developed around the turn of the twentieth century near the site of the former Garrick Inn.
- 03
Its name recalls St Radegund, the patron associated with the medieval nunnery on the site of Jesus College.
- 04
It became the traditional start and finish of the King Street Run.
- 05
The King Street Run is traced to a 1955 undergraduate debate about drinking a gallon without a comfort break.
- 06
The pub reopened as an independent, cask-led community alehouse on 29 January 2026.
- 07
Its freehold is held by Cambridge United Charities.
03 / The place
The building in context.
- Built
- Late nineteenth-century building; present pub recorded by the early twentieth century
- Style
- Compact traditional city alehouse
- Listing
- Historic public-house frontage identified in the Cambridge Historic Core Appraisal
04 / Before you go
Plan it well.
Enjoy it properly.
Practical detail, separated from the story so you can scan what matters when you are ready to visit.
Tickets & entry
No admission charge; drinks are individually priced.
Opening hours
Generally 17:00–23:00 Monday–Friday, 13:00–23:00 Saturday and 16:00–22:30 Sunday. Check the official pub or CAMRA listing before travelling.
Booking
Walk-in pub. Its exceptionally small interior means space cannot be assumed at busy times.
Access
The compact historic premises may constrain circulation. Contact the pub directly for current step-free access and toilet information.
Good to know
No particular fitness requirement; confirm access needs directly because the pub is unusually small. · Not normally required.
Continue exploring / Cambridge
What will you
do next?
Compare the practical essentials first, then open the experiences that earn a place in your plans.
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Find it
and what’s nearby.
05 / Good to know
Questions,
answered.
01Why is the St Radegund famous?
Its tiny size and its role as the traditional start and finish of the King Street Run made it a Cambridge pub institution.
02Is this a chain pub?
No. CAMRA lists the operator as independent; the freehold is held by Cambridge United Charities.
03Is the King Street Run still recommended?
The historic drinking challenge is part of the pub's story, not a visitor recommendation. Enjoy the history and drink responsibly.
04Did the pub recently reopen?
Yes. Following earlier closures and a short-lived 2024 incarnation, the St Radegund reopened as an alehouse in January 2026.