Where is Ruth Ellis pub The Magdala and is it still open?

The resulting trial didn't consider David's treatment of Ruth as a factor in the case, nor did it examine evidence that another lover had encouraged the action.

For these reasons and others, Ruth's execution is considered a miscarriage of justice by many, and gave considerable momentum to calls to abolish the death penalty in Britain.

The murder itself took place outside a London pub called The Magdala, where the team behind ITV's A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story actually filmed.

Where is The Magdala pub?

The Magdala pub is located in Hampstead, north-west London, one of the more expensive and affluent areas of the English capital city.

The pub was one of several real locations utilised for A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story, as director Lee Haven Jones explained at a launch event for the series.

He began: "We are true to the spirit of the story, if not to the letter. However, we as a team felt it was very important that we had elements that were authentic for the time.

"So during the journey, we decided that we should shoot as much as possible within the locations that were available to us.

"So, for example, we shot at the Old Bailey – not in the court, but in the lobby areas – and we shot at the magistrates' court in Hampstead, where Ruth had her first hearing."

Haven Jones added: "We shot, of course, outside The Magdala pub, where the shooting took place, and we also shot at Tanza Road, which is the house where Carole Findlater and her husband lived.

"So that was key in terms of injecting the kind of the scenes with a sense of authenticity."

Is The Magdala pub still open?

Yes, The Magdala pub is still open, and is conveniently located mere metres away from the Hampstead Heath overground station.

The establishment did close down for a period between February 2016 and May 2021, when it reopened under new ownership. Find out more on The Magdala website.

Are The Magdala pub 'bullet holes' real?

No, the 'bullet holes' on the outside of The Magdala pub are not real.

They were drilled into the wall in the early '90s by the establishment's then-landlord Mary Watson, in order to tie the property even closer to the true crime story for which it is most famous (via Islington Tribune).

Still, many have been fooled by the legitimacy of the 'bullet holes', including A Cruel Love co-star Bessie Carter (who plays David's friend, Carole Findlater).

She told RadioTimes.com and other press: "I went like an idiot and thought they were real! I was going, 'Wow!' I got really emotional... and then I googled it and I was like, 'Oh.'"

Did Ruth Ellis work at The Magdala pub?

No, although Ruth Ellis shot David Blakely outside of The Magdala pub, it was not the establishment where she worked.

Rather, she was the manager of a nightclub named The Little Club, which was located in Knightsbridge, another affluent area in Central London.

A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story is available to stream on ITVX.

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