In 1338 draper Hugh le Marbrer (or Marbler), one of the sheriffs of that same year, acquired from the executors of John de Pykenham paternosterer five shops (with solars above) on the north side of Paternoster Row; Hugh had earlier (1331) inherited, from Adam le Marbeler, a mason, presumably specializing in working marble, houses in that same street. The former was the property which William le Marbrer (possibly a nephew of Adam) arranged to be converted into, or replaced by, a tavern. A mason was contracted to dig out a cellar and wall it, and at one end dig out a privy, wall it and incorporate in the wall a pipe leading from the ground floor. The walls of the cellar were, on the street side, to rise to just above pavement level, but on the opposite side to continue up to the first (jettied) floor. This cellar was probably intended to be part of the public area of the tavern, since fireplaces were installed at either end. In a second contract, Marbrer engaged a carpenter to build a three-storey house, fitted out for a tavern on the ground and first floors (including general seating area, and one partitioned room for private parties), with a kitchen and larder on part of the second floor and a garret – probably the bedroom mentioned – in the other part. The contracts appear to have gone ahead, for in 1347 Marbrer is referred to as taverner, though his will refers again to him as vintner; the two roles were often combined. William probably ran the tavern personally, perhaps assisted by a wife and some of the two sons and three daughters mentioned in his will, living in somewhat cramped quarters above the tavern; his will states that he resided in Paternoster Row. After Marbrer's death at the onset of plague in 1349, the tavern came into the hands of the Mockyng family, vintners, and in 1429 is referred to as the "Peter and Paul".

Taverns were an important part of the urban fabric, providing an indoor and therefore year-round location for relaxation after a hard working day, socializing with friends and neighbours, and games for recreation or gambling. Communal gatherings at which ale was drunk, whether at establishments for that purpose or ad hoc drinkings organized for special fundraisings, were an almost essential feature of social life in the towns. Frequenting taverns was perhaps one of the principal reasons why curfew was widely ignored.

Ale was the most commonly drunk beverage in medieval England, and was served in various types of establishment. Inns were large buildings combining the function of accommodation – both for people and their transportation – and meal service; 197 were counted in London in 1384. Taverns might also be multi-room establishments, but were less likely to offer accommodation. Their main function was for imbibing and they might attract all elements of society, some being more respectable than others. To that attraction they added gambling, entertainment – whether minstrelsy or just a communal sing-song – and prostitution. At the lower end of the social scale and size were the alehouses, of which some brewed and occasionally sold their surplus, while others were retail establishments; they were less discriminating about their clientele. One chronicler reckoned that London had, in 1309, 354 taverns and 1,334 brewers (out of a total population now thought to have been about 80,000); this must have included the alewives who ran part-time operations, for the membership of the Brewers Company in 1418 was 234.

Wine was drunk by those who could afford it; it was not sold in alehouses. Some taverns sold wine, some ale, some both. Beer started to become commonly available only in the fifteenth century, after the introduction of hops. Cider and mead were also drunk, but in significant amounts only in the parts of the country where brewed.