Ed’s
Central London Pub Di
WC1 Bloomsbury & Holborn
PUBNETWORK.COM™
and the barstool of Ed Vidunas
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Posted November 2004
The District of Bloomsbury and
parts of Holborn and St. Pancras
If you
are looking for some afternoon reading in a pub try Literary Villages of
The Pubs
The coordinates [123 A1] locates the area in the Geographer's AZ London Street Atlas, the small book. That is page 123 and grid A1.
45 Mt. Pleasant WC1
Phone: 020 7837-2365
Bear & Staff
Boot (Charington) Bloomsbury/St. Pancras [140 C2]
Bull and Mouth (T J Bernard since 1998) ()
(Formerly the
31
Phone 020 7405-2342
Holborn Station
Bung Hole Holborn (Davy’s Wine Bar)
57 High Holborn WC1V
6DX, entrance in
Phone & Fax 020 7831 8365
Holborn Station
The bar is open Monday to Friday from 1100 to 1500, then 1700 onwards. The Wine Rooms are open for coffee from 0830 to 1100.
Calthorpe Arms (Young’s)
252 Gray’s Inn Road WC1 at Wren
Phone 020 7278-4732
Phone: 020 7278-2120
Citie of Yorke (Samuel Smith) Bloomsbury/Holborn [140 141]
Phone 020 7242-7670
Holborn Station
Old
Brewery Bitter is served from an oak cast which adds to the ambiance to the
pub. A triangular fireplace is in middle of floor and has no chimney. Can you
guess how it works? This place looks
medieval with its high wood ceiling. As in all Samuel Smith pubs you will feel
comfortable with some of
College Arms [140 A6]
This was the University Tavern prior to Jan 2003
Phone: 020 7436-4697
Goodge Station
Crown (Samuel Smith)
51 New
It may have closed as of 1995. I walk past it all the time and I can't tell if it is open or closed. Somebody help me on this. Someday I am going to try the door.
Dicken's Inn Bloomsbury (status unknown as of summer 2003) [140 F4]
Chancery Lane Station
The
Charles Dickens museum is just up
Dolphin St Pancras [140 C2]
Sr. Pancras Station
Dolphin Tavern
Holborn Station
Duke's Head
Great
Holborn Station
This hotel pub was undergoing a refurbishment in January 2000 and has re-opened as Solutions. I am sorry to say that it may no longer be a pub. Now what did that solve? What was the problem with the Duke’s Head that a solution had to be found?
Duke of
Chancery Lane Station
Very much a local. It seems they have been influenced by Any Warhol as some of his posters are hanging and the piano is painted bright red.
22 Easton St WC1X 0DS
Runs parallel to Farrington (east side) at Rosebery
Australian country-style food
Farrington Station
Phone 020 7242-8040
Holborn Station
31
Phone 020 7405-2342
Holborn Station
Finnegans Wake (Scottish-Courage) (Formerly the Sun Inn)
Called the Perseverance since
63 Lamb’s Conduit St WC1
at
Phone 020 7405-8278
This was The Sun until 1995 when S&C striped it of its ales and honor. My visit in January 1996 was disappointing. Once known for the best selection of real ales it now has few and the decor is no longer in the classic English style. In the Mid 90's a trend was started to convert find English pubs into fake Irish bars. Many of the taps were removed and the only draft beers were Guinness and Murphy's. The chalkboard was covered over with fake newsprint and the lovely wood was painted over. This was done to cater to the younger crowd. Maybe when the lads grow up the pub will be given back its splendor.
Friend at Hand (Scottish-Courage, formerly Chef & Brewer)
Phone 020 7837-5524
This is
a well-worn, everyday pub, which means that it is quite active day and night.
It can get lively at night since there are many hotels near but the crowd is
well behaved.
2 Britanna St WC1 south of Pentonville Rd between Gray’s Inn Rd and King’s Cross Rd.
Phone: 020 7837-3113
Kings Cross-St.Pancras Stations
Goose & Granite (Just So Pub Co. Bass) (Formerly the Marque of
Phone 020 7837-6072, Fax 020 7278-2783
This
pub reopened in Dec. 1996. They have a
good selection of ales on tap. With
respect to pub history in
133 King’s Cross Rd WC1
Changed to Finnegans but now closed as of summer 2003.
Harrison St. Surpass
House off Gray’s
Phone: 020 7916-3113
Kings Cross-St Pancras Stations
Ivy House Holborn [140 E6]
8
Holborn Station
Jeremy Bentham (Scottish-Courage, formerly Chef & Brewer)
Phone 020 7387-3033
Kings Arms
Chancery Lane Station
I respect the pubs that members of CARMA, North London
Branch patronize But, I was amused when I read that they celebrated their 30th
anniversary in this pub on
Lamb (Young's)
94 Lamb’s Conduit St WC1
at
Phone 020 7405-01713
The old
snob screens are still in place but you won't find old snobs in the Lamb. I could say more but see this Victorian Pub
for your self. Named after Mr. Lamb, who
built a drain under the street in 1577; thus Lamb’s Conduit. The Lamb has a sunken drinking area that
leads to an outside courtyard. You can
even buy Lamb flavored potato chips here.
This pub is listed in everyone's pub guide but what they never say is
how nice and quite it is here even at peak drinking time. On Sunday they closed
mid-day.
Royal National Hotel,
North London Branch of CAMRA has this pub on
Lord John Russell Bloomsbury
It seems that the typical crowd of drinker is of college age. The appearance of the place looks run down but it is clean. This is really a fun pub.
I have
been staying in
Lucas Arms (Free House) [140 C2]
245 Gray’s
Phone: 020 7837-4340
King's Cross-St. Pancras Station
This looks like a lovely pub. As I walked by I took a snapshot but did not take many notes. Look for me to be back.
Mabel’s (Shepard Neame) Bloomsbury/St. Pancras [140 B2]
Phone 020 7387-7739
King's Cross Station
Mabel’s is a nice little place with a good selection of ales. Not being too close to any landmarks makes this a local for the residents of St. Pancras, but you will not feel out of place.
Became a Shepard Neame pub in 2002; prior to that it may have been a free house. It has the old owner as the new landlord and the place looks just like the original pub.
36
Phone 020 7636-0120
McGlynn’s (March 2001 Entry) St. Pancras [140 D1]
Phone: 020 7916-9816
Kings Cross-St Pancras Stations
A very nice local that is out of the way of the main stream.
Monk Clerkenwell [140 F4] Closed
Gray’s Inn Rd WC1 off Theobald's Rd
Farringdon Station
This was a link in the chain of Monk pubs.
Moon (no longer a pub)
This may be New North [140 E5]
It is under a new name, just like its sister pub the Sun, which is now Finnigan's Wake, or some other name as it changes often. It was always my understanding that the two pubs had a single owner. I don’t know if that was one landlord or if they both belonged to Scottish-Courage.
Mortimer Arms Fritzovia[139 M4]
Museum Tavern (Scottish-Courage, formerly Clifton Inns’, formerly
Chef & Brewer)
Phone 020 7242-8987
A good
selection of ales on tap and they vary often so you never know what’s on until
you get there. It's across the street
from the
Most pubs have a resident dog. The Museum has a cat named Crush. (Jan. 1997 trip) They try to keep him out of the bar area but they often fail. On occasion he will escape to the outside world but this does not worry the bartenders. Crush will visit the nearby shops where he is well liked and well fed to be sure. After his crawl he always comes home. Don’t we all?
New Merlin's Cave (Closed) Clerkenwell
Phone 020 7837-2097
King's Cross Station
The pub was torn down for a new building per my January 99 trip.
Oarsman Holborn [140 D7]
2 New
Phone 020 7404-5009
Holborn Station
Old Crown St. Giles
Phone: 020 7836-9121, Web www.old-crown.co.uk
The web-site visit in November 2004 gave a desire to visit the pub. They have a good drinks and food menu but, hey guys, where is the beer menu? Nice up-scale place.
Old Red Lion (Green King) Holborn [140 F6]
Phone 020 7405-1748
Holborn or
I enjoy an evening pint in this small and cozy pub. It is not very large but even with a good crowd it remains civilized. Look for the name GREEN KING in green at the top of the building.
Overdraughts
(Green King)
Holborn Station
Pakenham Arms (Young's)
252 Gray’s Inn Rd WC1
Phone 020 7278-4732
283 High Holborn WC1
(east of the Red Lion) opposite
Phone: 020 7242-5669
Phone: 020 7837-1399
King’s Cross Station
Plough (Taylor-Walker)
Phone 020 7636-7964
Holborn Station
Porcupine
Great Newport St WC1
Princess Louise (Samuel Smith) Holborn [140 D6]
Phone 020 7405-8816
Holborn Station
Interior or exterior features architecturally impressive.
This is a big place with a comfortable look to it. The decor is truly "English Pub" with its ornate plaster ceiling and papered walls. The food bar looks inviting also. The urinals in the men’s room are large enough to shower in. In fact you stand on grating. Many men talk more about them than the beer.
The Princess Louise was the Evening Standard pub of the year in 1986, which is prominently displayed outside. Then they were owned b Regent Inns, which did many cask ales and had a wide range of beers. Sam Smith took over in 1997.
It became a Samuel Smith in October 1997. What's Brewing. July 1997, page 26.
Queen Charlottes Bloomsbury [140 D5] Oueen’s Lauder
Cosmo Place WC1 at
Phone: 020 7837-5627
Cosmos Place can be entered from the East Side of Southampton Row.
Queen’s Head
Rugby Tavern (Shepards Neam)
This was a Fuller's pub but changed to SN per my January 1998 trip.
Phone 020 7405-1384
Holborn Station
This is
one of the few pubs open in this part of
Phone: 020 7837-6521
Kings Cross-St Pancras Stations
Square Pig Holborn [140 E6]
30 Proctor WC1 just north of Holborn
Holborn Station
Looks to be a new pub and just built for 2002.
Sun Inn (Renamed Finnigin’s Wake in 1995) [140 E4]
63 Lamb’s Conduit St WC1
at
Finnigin's Wake is listed above but I feel something
needs to be said hear. Many people around the world know the Sun as one of the
premier pubs of
Swan (T J Bernard, formerly Chef & Brewer)
Phone 020 7837-6223
Three Cups (Badger-Hall & Woodhouse) Holborn [140 F6]
Parallel to and just north of High Holborn
Phone 020 7831-4302
This
former Young’s pub has undergone refurbishment since my August 2003 visit and
is now a Badger pub. Young’s beers are wide-spread in
Union Tavern Finsbury [141 G2]
King's
King's Cross Station
They have more wine than beer as they have a rather up-scale restaurant.
University Tavern [140 A6] this is now the College Arms per Jan 2003
Phone: 020 7436-4697
Goodge Station
Water Rats
King Cross/St. Pancras [140]
Phone 020 7837-7269
King's Cross Station
Farringdon Station
Reports after my summer 2003 visit say they are boarded up.
Bloomsbury/Clerkenwell [140 F5]
2 Theobald’s Road WC1 at
Gray’s
Phone 020 7405-2519
Chancery Lane Station
Real Ales were brewed on the premises and had poly-pins for draft take away. A short walk from the Lamb, this pub should have been on everyone’s pub craw.
This
was one of
Not to be confused with the Yorkshire Grey 46 Langham St W1