Welcome to On Location, a weekly feature spotlighting landmarks and establishments seen on screen that viewers can visit IRL. Whether you’re seeking a fun selfie, breathtaking vistas or maybe a show-accurate treat, follow along for some bucket list destinations.
In the Season 4 finale of Apple TV+’s Slow Horses, The Lighterman Pub & Restaurant on Granary Square, in King’s Cross, London, UK, provides the setting for a pivotal meeting between River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) and Frank Harkness (Hugo Weaving). Disclaimer: The following contains spoilers for Slow Horses Season 4. If you aren’t caught up, you may want to stop here.
The Lighterman on Slow Horses
Although they tangled earlier in the season when River traveled to France — investigating a murder attempt on his grandfather, David Cartwright (Jonathan Pryce) — it’s not until he sits down and greets Frank Harkness with, “Hello, Dad,” that the suspected nature of their relationship is confirmed. Like Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker’s hidden biological bond, River is a young hero faced with the knowledge that he only exists because of his enemy.
RELATED: TV Review: Slow Horses Season 4
Meeting in a public and central location like The Lighterman is a risky yet necessary choice, emphasizing the significance of the sit-down. Situated on the popular Granary Square, at the heart of King’s Cross, The Lighterman is guaranteed to be crowded with bystanders and civilians. The singular style of the three-story building adjacent to the Regent Canal provides views and lookout vantages through floor-to-ceiling windows. And, of course, the close proximity to the King’s Cross Tube stations allows for a quick escape. If necessary. Because, yeah. It’s Slow Horses. No character just eats dinner with another character.
The Perfect Spot, Open Every Day
The Lighterman is a three-in-one bonanza of wining and dining. There’s the First Floor Dining Room where River and Frank meet. That’s on the top floor. Below that, at the level of Granary Square, is the more casual Ground Floor Bar and Terrace. No reservations needed for this walk-in hangout. And then, below that, is the Canalside Bar, located on the towpath of the Regent’s Canal, billed as an ideal venue for private events.
The Lighterman bills their fare as “modern British-European” and offers a variety of small and main dishes sourced from local, seasonal and sustainable vendors. Their drinks menu includes some tasty-sounding zero-percent cocktails showcasing Everleaf apertifs, and their puddings (aka desserts) menu includes something tantalizingly called a chocolate delice as well as the staple British cheese board, served with apple chutney and crackers.
RELATED: Read our Slow Horses Season 4 recaps
Authenticity
The only things we see on the table in the Slow Horses Season 4 Episode 6, “Hello Goodbye,” scene are two bottles of beer. Although the props department mocked up some very realistic-looking labels, I wasn’t able to track down an IRL corresponding beer. The closest offering on The Lighterman’s bottled beers list is the Empress IPA, a 5.9% English brew. Not a bad vintage to toast Harkness’s unfortunate offspring with, methinks.
On Slow Horses and IRL, The Lighterman is a stylish establishment frequented by a large cross-section of London’s liveliest demographics. Clearly not anywhere Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) would willingly enter to eat, drink or apprehend anyone.
RELATED: On Location: The Phoenicia Diner on Apple TV+’s Severance
Bonus Tidbits
There isn’t a single noodle dish on the menu, and they certainly don’t sell their whiskey by the bottle. That Frank Harkness chose it for his first face-to-face with his (last surviving) son says a lot about the differences between him and Lamb. Point of fact: The episode ends with River sitting down with Lamb in less polished surroundings, the only time the two of them meet all season, and neither of them pulls a grenade. Chosen family is a joy, innit?
Bonus On Location tidbit: Slow Horses’s respect for London’s real-life geography is appreciated. For example, The Lighterman is perfectly and realistically situated to springboard into the final chase and capture at King’s Cross. However, for those looking for an authentic Slough House photo op, head for 126 Aldersgate Street, near the Barbican Tube Station (which is only two Tube stops away from King’s Cross). Slough House — as a department of MI5 — is fictional, but the building they film for the team’s headquarters is real and as grubby as you’d expect.
All four seasons of Slow Horses are available now on Apple TV+.
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