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Beer history london pubs

London Entertains, 1974

Reader John-Paul Clough (@jp_clough on Twitter) contacted us this week with a scan of a bit of old newspaper his parents had found lining a drawer. As far as we can tell, it’s a supplement from a local London newspaper published in January or February 1974, and probably sponsored by the London Tourist Board.

As well as suggesting zoos, galleries, museums and boat trips, it looks as if it might provide the itinerary for our next (public transport assisted) historic London pub crawl:

Pick of the Pubs (1974 newspaper headline)

PUBLIC HOUSES, or pubs, are an integral part of the British way of life. If you are an overseas visitor and have never been in one before, then don’t miss the experience. Beer is different here than in most other countries, and there’s a much bigger variety. Here is a selection of pubs we think you’ll enjoy visiting.

Bull & Bush
North End Road, Hampstead, NW3. Made famous by the old music-hall ditty “Down at the old Bull & Bush”, this pub has a well-preserved Hogarth Bar. Brewery: Ind Coope.

City Arms
West Ferry Road, E14. Well of the usual tourist track, so give it a try and rub shoulder with the East End dockers. There’s a nightly disco. Brewery: Watneys.

Coal Hole
Strand, WC2. A quaint 17th Century theatre pub in the heart of the theatre-land. Brewery: Ind Coope.

Dirty Dick’s
202 Bishopsgate, EC2. Cobwebs, dust and weird ornaments go to make up the bizarre atmosphere of this famous City pub, with a history dating back over 200 years. A Free House.

Duke of Cumberland
New King’s Road, SW6. Victorian-style pub, bearing the name of Queen Victoria’s notorious uncle. Voted pub of the Year for 1971. Brewery: Young & Co.

Feathers
20 Broadway, Westminster, SW1. Downstairs Victorian atmosphere bar. Up the spiral staircase to the Flamingo Bar with disco and go-go girls every night (from 8 pm) and lunchtimes Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Brewery: Bass Charrington.

George Inn
Borough High Street, SE1. Last remaining galleried coaching inn in London, used as a setting by Dickens in ‘Little Dorrit’. Built in 1677, the pub is a treasury of old beams, cobblestones and historic atmosphere. Brewery: Whitbread.

Prospect of Whitby
57 Wapping Wall, E1. Riverside pub steeped in history. Very popular, particularly at weekend. All kinds of music and jazz. Brewery: St George’s Taverns.

Once again, the same old ‘classics’ feature, though the City Arms is a bit of a novelty. (It became the City Pride and was demolished last year.)

And what the heck is ‘St George’s Taverns’? A pub company rather than a brewery, we’d guess.

Notes

  1. The ‘pub of the year’ probably refers to the Evening Standard awards.
  2. The City Arms became the City Pride and was demolished in 2012.

2 replies on “London Entertains, 1974”

“Rub shoulders with East End dockers”! I don’t know who I’m more sorry for.

The other line that leapt out at me was the one about the “disco and go-go girls” ten times a week. Next time you’re reading about how feminism never achieved anything…

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