Board, 60 Cross Cheaping
| These premises have been known by different names during their history: | FROM | TO | NAME |
| 1836 | 1843 | Wine and Spirit Vaults | |
| 1843 | 1880 | Liquor Vaults | |
| 1843 | 1880 | Liquor Shop | |
| 1880 | 1896 | Board | |
| 1896 | 1911 | Royal Hotel | |
| 1911 | 1936 | Royal Vaults | |
Charles Alexander's pub as photographed by Joseph Wingrave in 1875.
The common name of THE BOARD was used from around 1880 to 1896, after which it became the ROYAL HOTEL. However, THE BOARD persevered, and was used for license transfers on and off through the rest of the pub's life.
In November and December 1887, when William John Piper advertised taking over THE BOARD from Henry Hinton, it was claimed that "The Corner Vaults" was also known by the name "PEEPING TOM". No other references to this name appear for the pub, but several newspaper articles of the day to refer to this location, at the top of Cross Cheaping, as "Peeping Tom Corner".Board means 'to board intoxicating liquor'. In some instances the need for a premises to have 'a board', that is a sign board, suggested this name, as they did in fact display a blank board. However, generally the board identified a person selling beer from their home; in other words a beer-house under the 1839 Beerhouse Act, the real origin of the 'public house'. | |||
LICENSEES:1880 - 1887 Henry Hinton 1887 - 1894 William John Piper 1894 Walter Rice (Apr to May!) 1894 - 1895 Horace Bower 1895 Bradley Keen (Apr to Oct) 1895 - 1896 Edward Townson | |||
 Street plan of 1851 | |||