We were in London for a short visit this weekend and, between us, went to a few notable pubs that we never visited while living there.
The Boleyn Tavern was infamous for being the West Ham pub because it was close to the former Upton Park stadium.
Regularly boarded up or closed ahead of particularly tasty fixtures, it wasn’t the sort of place we ever felt the need to go.
However, Jess happened to read about it in the latest London Drinker and as she had a few hours to kill before meeting a friend out east decided to wander up that way.
It’s a stunning sight from outside. It’s enormous for a start, dominating the corner of a busy junction – a classic gin palace from the dying days of that trend.
The interior is no less remarkable. There are many, many separate drinking areas, which works just as well today as it did in the 19th century.
The public bar contained West Ham fans getting a couple of beers in before the game. (It was a home game, but the ground is now miles from the pub.) Meanwhile the areas towards the back were full of families having lunch.
Although it is a gin palace in style, the layout reminded Jess of the floor plans of improved pubs she studied while researching 20th Century Pub.
It had one central multi-faceted bar; a canteen at the back; and different compartments for groupings like ‘third class women’.
However, it’s far too ornate to be considered an improved pub, with gorgeous etched windows and stained glass ceilings. There is something to look at in every direction.
It also just feels good to sit in. It’s a classic example of the kind of place where you might be on your own, in your own corner, but still be aware of the hubbub going on around you.
Oh, and the beer was pretty good too – halves of wonderful Five Points Best were served in nice stem glasses with a more generous head than is usual in London.
Walking with friends along the Regent’s Canal from the Limehouse Basin to King’s Cross, Ray revisited a couple of old favourites (The Dove, The Wenlock). But he was also introduced to The Rosemary Branch in Islington.
It’s an impressive sight above the canal – a big chunk of Victoriana with its name carved in italic sans-serif capitals on the frieze.
There’s been some sort of pub here for at least a couple of centuries but the present building is from the late 19th century. At various times it had pleasure gardens, a dance hall, and a music hall. Even now it houses a small theatre.
The beer was nothing special, just Shepherd Neame ale in the condition you generally expect in London.
But the atmosphere of the bar was magical, especially with the sun blasting through the windows, deepening the shadows and shining off the dark, polished wood.
Dangling from the ceiling are two very large scale model planes, a Spitfire pursuing a Junkers 88, which tickles another layer of collective memory.
The Anchor & Hope in Clapton has tempted us from afar but we never made it in when we lived in nearby Walthamstow.
We used to see it on the other side of the river Lea when we went for walks and just never made it across. For one thing, there was only a broken footpath on that side and few places to cross.
And, secondly, it had a mixed reputation locally, and presented a rather unfriendly face to the world with forbidding signs in the door panes.
Architecturally, it’s an unusual historical anomaly – a surviving example of a simple beer house with one tiny room. Most of the seating is outside at the water’s edge.
There’s no food beyond crunchy things in packets but the beer is just superb. Both Fuller’s London Pride and ESB were in perhaps the best condition we’ve encountered this year.
While we drank, what we took to be a regular volunteered to light the open fire. After much effort, he got it blazing.
Even though it wasn’t that cold outside, the smell, sound and feel of burning logs made it very hard to leave.
Finally, we both visited The Somers Town Coffee House near Euston. Now, this really is an improved pub, built in the 1920s on the site of a much older establishment.
The London County Council (LCC) were reluctant to allow pubs to be built on their new estates but allowed this one on the Ossulston Street Estate as long as it had a “refreshment room”.
We enjoyed its austere, angular, interwar exterior, which harmonises perfectly with the blocks of flats that surround it.
They feel as if they’ve been transplanted from the Netherlands or Germany and the pub itself has perhaps a hint of a Scandinavian accent.
The interior is less exciting having been remodelled many times by the look of it. At least it’s not grey, though.
We enjoyed excellent pints of Timothy Taylor Landlord and marvelled at the somewhat village-like atmosphere five minutes walk from the Euston Road.
