If there were any pub that illustrates what I’m trying to do with this book, this would be it. The White Hart Brew Pub in east London is a fascinating place that displays the qualities I’d seek in a pub without ever being one I’d recommend people drink in. It has everything and nothing. A … More The White Hart, Whitechapel, E1
As cautionary tale dispenser Hilaire Belloc once said: “When you have lost your Inns, drown your empty selves. For you will have lost the last of England.” But should that unthinkable scenario pan out, give thanks and rejoice there is someone out there who has prepared for that eventuality. I give you The Draught Horse. … More The Draught Horse, No Fixed Abode
What was once – and on this evidence I suspect still is – dubbed the Sloaney Pony has unashamedly moved with the times and embraced the so-called craft beer revolution. That this development boosts the appeal of a previously unvisitable place is undeniable. Because despite the presence of types who think it’s acceptable to wear … More The White Horse, Parsons Green, SW6
Let’s get this straight. This is not a pub. I mean, you can get beer here, but that’s where the similarity ends. I’d say it was a bar, but it’s lacking one vital ingredient for that; to wit, a bar. It could pass for a restaurant in that it sells food and has menus, but … More Spiritland, King’s Cross, N1
Stranger things have happened at sea. Or so they say. Whoever they are, I’d wager not one of them has ever set foot in The Crown Tavern on Clerkenwell Green. That said, they wouldn’t be missing much. It’s the kind of over-lit, moribund place you wouldn’t wish to pass more than a cursory pint in. … More The Crown Tavern, Clerkenwell Green, EC1
