Charing Cross to Tottenham Court Road.
The Sherlock Holmes
Street: 10 Northumberland Street
Operator: Greene King
Open:
11:00 - 23:00 Sunday-Wednesday
11:00 - 00:00 Thursday-Saturday
Map: Charing Cross to Tottenham Court Road
Hemsida
Underground: Charing Cross (2 min)
Bakerloo
Northern
About the pub:
With Scotland Yard, various hotels on Northumberland Avenue, the Turkish baths enjoyed by the duo and other locations that feature in Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories all close by, it is perhaps not so surprising to find a pub named after the (fictional, please be reminded!) detective so far away from his home in Baker Street.
So it was here, in the former Northumberland Arms, that, in 1957, Whitbread chose to create their eponymous theme pub, complete with a replica of the 221b sitting room, preserving material rescued from the Holmes exhibition component of the 1951 Festival of Britain.
The main bar is spacious, airy and light, with bare wooden flooring, a variety of seating and decorated with Holmesean memorabilia. Upstairs has more of a period feel in the restaurant rooms and, viewable through a glass walls, the replica Holmes and Watson's sitting room. There is a small roof terrace which is generally opened during the summer and otherwise sometimes on busy evenings.
The local office worker regulars mix happily with awe-struck tourists who always make a point of photographing each other under the iconic image on the pub sign outside. For some real history, note that the pub featured in the 1969 short film "Under the Table You Must Go", which was later included in the "Roll Out the Barrel" DVD of beer-related shorts.
The Ship and Shovell
Street: 1-3 Craven Passage
Operator: Hall & Woodhouse
Open:
11:30 - 23:00 Monday-Saturday
Closed Sundays
Map: Charing Cross to Tottenham Court Road
Homepage
Underground: Charing Cross (1min)
Bakerloo
Northern
About the pub:
Attractive welcoming pub almost underneath Charing Cross Station, it is, perhaps uniquely (for London, at least), divided into two separate halves, these buildings facing each other across Craven Passage alleyway which runs between Villiers Street and Craven Street.
Both were originally early Georgian terraced houses, later refaced and the interiors remodelled to suit their conversion to commercial premises. Despite being grade II listed in 1970, the original pub was under threat of demolition until bought by Hall & Woodhouse in 1997. The smaller bar opposite (not open all the time) was added in 1999: converted from an antiques shop, it has provided a snug and the upstairs Crows Nest room.
In early 2017, the pub underwent a subtle refurbishment: most noticeably, the carpet was removed to expose an attractive wooden floor. The wonderful etched mirrors, engraved glass, polished brass, wood paneling and nautical pictures all remain, as do discreetly placed TVs for certain sporting events.
The pub is named after Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell whose portrait hangs in the main bar, along with a description of part of his fleet's grounding off the Scilly Isles in 1707, drowning him and two thousand of his men. This catastrophe is believed to have inspired the Admiralty to offer the Longitude Prize for an accurate nautical timepiece.
Nearby point of interest:
Blue plaques -Westminster
Benjamin Franklin House (1min)
Benjamin Franklin house
Gordon's Wine Bar (2min)
Gordons wine bar
Eleanor Cross (2min)
Historic England
The Nell Gwynne
Street: 1-2 Bull Inn Court
Operator: City Pub Company
Open:
12:00 - 22:00 Sunday-Monday
12:00 - 23:00 Tuesday-Saturday
Map: Charing Cross to Tottenham Court Road
Homepage
Underground: Charing Cross (3min)
Bakerloo
Northern
About the pub:
Tiny, hard to find Grade II listed pub in a gas lit alleyway between Maiden Lane and the Strand, rebuilt in the late 1890s. Note the Art Nouveau tilework in the passage to the Strand. The dark red colouring of walls and ceiling, together with subdued interior lighting and effectively non-existent natural light, create a very cosy effect. Small raised area at end of bar.
Beers include a regular and up to three guest ales, whilst the food offering comprises toasties, sausage rolls, scotch eggs and cheese & charcuterie plates. A splendid little place for anyone wanting to recapture the Dickensian pleasures of well-hidden pubs, or get over a session of 'retail therapy'. The pub boasts "one of London’s best jukeboxes packed with classics for the discerning ear". Beware steep stairs down to WC.
On this site in 1667 at the Old Bull Inn, the diarist Samuel Pepys met "the mighty pretty" Nell Gwynne, then aged 17, already an experienced prostitute and about to become a mistress of Charles II. Also here, the actor William Terris was murdered in 1897 by a deranged stage hand from the Adelphi Theatre next door
Nearby point of interest:
Blue plaques -Westminster
The Coal Hole
Street: 91-92 The Strand
Operator: Nicholsons
Open:
12:00 - 23:00 Monday-Tuesday
11:30 - 23:30 Wednesday
11:30 - 23:00 Thursday
11:00 - 00:00 Friday-Saturday
11:00 - 22:30 Sunday
Map: Charing Cross to Tottenham Court Road
Homepage
Underground: Charing Cross (5min)
Bakerloo
Northern
About the pub:
Licensed in 1866 as the Salisbury Tavern and rebuilt in 1891 and again as part of the Savoy Court complex in 1903-4 by the architect TE Collcutt; then transformed into a pub named the Fountains Tavern.
The current name is reputed to be derived from its one-time role as a coal cellar for the Savoy Hotel; or, alternative story, because the pub was the haunt of coal heavers working at the quays below. The licence was for wines and spirits only until 1948.
One of London's Real Heritage Pubs, M&B Nicholson's has preserved the original decor, including friezes above the bar and original windows. As part of the Savoy Court block, the building is Grade II listed. The mezzanine floor, if you can get a seat there, gives a good view of the pub's many features.
The clientele consists largely of tourists, patrons of the Savoy Hotel and the various nearby theatres and Charing Cross commuters; prices reflect the very central location. Guest beers are often from microbreweries such as Thornbridge and there are occasional tap takeovers, see venue social media. The food offering includes a pre-theatre menu.
Attached is Edmunds wine bar, with separate street and internal entrances, named after the actor Edmund Keane.
Nearby point of interest:
Blue plaques -Westminster
The Savoy (1min)
The Savoy London
Punch & Judy
Street: 40 Henrietta Street
Operator: Greene King
Open:
11:00 - 23:00 Monday-Thursday
11:00 - 00:00 Friday-Saturday
11:00 - 22:30 Sunday
Map: Charing Cross to Tottenham Court Road
Homepage
Underground: Covent Garden (3min)
Piccadilly
About the pub:
In part of the Grade II* listed Central Market Building (1828-30 by Charles Fowler), the pub is named for the Italian puppets which first appeared in England in the Covent Garden area and were mentioned (as Polchinelli) with delight by the diarist Samuel Pepys in 1662, when he witnessed one of the first performances. It is a popular pub at the corner of the building with distinct basement and first floor bars.
The cellar bar has stone flagged flooring, bare bricked walls, low lighting and leads out on to a noisy enclosed courtyard where supervised children are allowed. The first floor balcony bar has an outdoor terrace overlooking the street entertainers below in front of St Paul's Church. There is no access for the disabled to either bars or toilets.
Nearby point of interest:
Blue plaques -Westminster
Covent Garden
London Transport Museum
London Royal Opera House
ST Pauls Church
Cafe Pacifico (5min)
Cafe Pacifico
The Lamb and Flag
Street: 33 Rose Street
Operator: Fullers
Open:
12:00 - 23:00 Monday-Friday
11:00 - 23:00 Saturday
12:00 - 22:30 Sunday
Map: Charing Cross to Tottenham Court Road
Homepage
Underground: Leicester Square (3min)
Piccadilly
About the pub:
It's not the easiest pub to find in Covent Garden but that doesn't stop it becoming very busy at times with office workers and visitors often spilling into the street summer and winter! But, unlike many other pubs in the area, because it is slightly hidden away, it is not quite so touristy. The Grade II listed Lamb and Flag is to be found down Lazenby Court (an alley) from Floral Street or up Rose Street from Garrick Street.
Leased by Fuller's since October 2011, and fully owned since 2013, the pub underwent a sympathetic renovation before re-opening. Though no longer a free house (and thus the real ale selection is predominantly from the Fuller's stable), it remains an attractive and pleasant traditional pub without music, muzak or games machines.
The upstairs bar and restaurant, where the main food service is available (but, please note, food and drink is table service only upstairs) is named the Dryden Room, after the poet John Dryden, whose satirical writing made him many enemies as a result of which he was brutally beaten by hired thugs in the alley outside the pub in 1679. There are Latin inscriptions (with translations) on the wooden beams commemorating this ambush. When he was working in nearby Catherine Street, the novelist Charles Dickens was also a regular here, as was, it is said, Karl Marx.
The ground floor bar consists of two small dark rooms with down-lighters, low beams, wood panelling and bare floorboards. The back room has a fireplace and plain wooden seats.
Brass plaques dotted around the bar commemorate where regulars of the past always stood, and the tradition is still kept up now.
Grade II listed, Historic England ref 1265122. Reputed to have been first licensed in 1623 and so the oldest such premises in Covent Garden, the building is one of the very few left in central London with a timber frame, dating from the early 18th century or possibly as early as 1688. However, much of what is visible is Georgian and the frontage is a 1958 rebuild. The pub used to be known as the Bucket of Blood because of the bare-fist fighting matches once held here. The source of the name Lamb and Flag has a religious basis. The Lamb in the pub name is from the Gospel of St. John: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world” and the Flag is that of St. George. Back in more modern times, in the early 1960s this was the pub used by the cast of the musical Oliver playing nearby, including cast member and Australian comedian Barry Humphries. Here he met Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, leading to a fruitful artistic relationship including the Barry McKenzie cartoon strip in the Cook-owned Private Eye magazine.
Nearby point of interest:
Blue plaques -Westminster
The Three Greyhounds
Street: 25 Greek Street
Operator: Nicholsons
Open:
12:00 - 23:00 Monday-Wednesday
12:00 - 23:30 Thursday
12:00 - 00:00 Friday-Saturday
12:00 - 22:30 Sunday
Map: Charing Cross to Tottenham Court Road
Homepage
Underground: Leicester Square (5min)
Piccadilly
About the pub:
Popular M&B Nicholson's pub, just off Shaftesbury Avenue and full of tourists and wanderers through Soho, first licensed as a beer house in 1846, with weatherboarding added in 1925. The name derives from the dogs once used to course hares in the area.
The pub makes a comfortable break from the Soho streets, but can frequently become rather crowded in this very central location.
Nearby point of interest:
Blue plaques -Westminster
Ronnie Scott's (2min)
Ronnie Scotts Jazz club
Chinatown (4min)
Chinatown
The Toucan
Street: 19 Carlisle Street
Operator: Independent
Open:
16:00 - 23:00 Monday-Thusday
13:00 - 23:00 Wednesday-Saturday
Closed Sundays
Map: Charing Cross to Tottenham Court Road
Homepage
Underground: Tottenham Court Road (2min)
Central
Northern
About the pub:
This small bar which started in the basement then expanded upstairs, is a homage to Guinness and everything associated with it! No real ale. Large selection of Irish whiskies, and Black Velvet cocktail, a mixture of Guinness and champagne, is a house favourite; or you can buy a cheaper option of Guinness and cider.
Jimi Hendrix is reputed to have once played in the basement here.
Nearby point of interest:
Blue plaques -Westminster
Soho Square (1min)
wikipedia
Bradley's Spanish Bar
Street: 42-44 Hanway Street
Operator: Independent
Open:
12:00 - 23:30 Monday-Thursday
12:00 - 00:00 Friday-Saturday
12:00 - 22:00 Sunday
Map: Charing Cross to Tottenham Court Road
Homepage
Underground: Tottenham Court Road (2min)
Central
Northern
About the pub:
Small two floor venue, the basement bar part being only open from 5pm Mon-Sat. Shabby-chic decor. A jukebox still plays vinyl records with tracks ranging from Bill Haley & the Comets and through the intervening decades to more recent times. The pub claims to have twenty thousand single records to choose from.
Draught Spanish and other lagers, cider, Guinness, and a couple of keg beers including Meantime Pale Ale; but no real ale. Crisps & nuts available but no tapas, and no other food!
Nearby point of interest:
Blue plaques -Westminster
Primark (2min)
Primark
Oxford Street
The Newman Arms
Street: 23 Rathbone Street
Operator: Independent
Open:
Closed Monday
15:00 - 23:00 Tuesday-Saturday
Closed Sunday
Map: Charing Cross to Tottenham Court Road
Homepage
Underground: Tottenham Court Road (5min)
Central
Northern
About the pub:
Named after the local landowner William Berners, whose country seat was Newman Hall in Quendon, Essex, it's a small, narrow and cosy low-ceilinged pub, with a proper flagstone floor.
Note the almost Dickensian covered alleyway to the left, once unlit and nicknamed Murderer's Alley.
It is a surviving fragment of a fringe of the St. Giles' Rookery, once the most famous slum area in London. A beer-only license lasted here until 1948 when wine was licensed to be sold, and finally a spirits license was granted in 1960.
After a period of closure for building works to be carried out, this site reopened in May 2018 under Truman's Brewery management, as their first Tap House in London. Truman’s expanded the pub into the basement and increased the number of draught lines, to offer customers a wider range of beers.
This was one of the first pubs in London to install a ‘crowler machine’ to fill 910ml (a pint and a half) cans with any draught beer on site for customers to take away.
Up to 4 cask ales plus 12 keg beers are on offer. The venue does not offer in-house substantial food but Serious Pig packet snacks are available.
Following a management buyout in 2022 Truman's was rebranded Big Penny but this iconic pub has kept its original name.
The building dates from the 1720s and is thought to have once been a blacksmith, candle-maker's, picture framer's and brothel before being licensed as a beer house in 1863. It later became a favorite of George Orwell and the pub is believed to have been the model for the "Proles' Arms" in Orwell's dystopian novel "1984", the pub in which Winston Smith tries and fails to find out about life before the revolution. The basement snug names now gives a nod to the famous book; with a dual purpose as a training facility for Truman's staff.
One of the murder scenes from the controversial Michael Powell film "Peeping Tom" was filmed in the flat above the pub.
Nearby point of interest:
Blue plaques -Westminster
PaStation (6min)
Pastation
Monopoly Lifesized (5min)
Monopoly Lifesized
