Cover photo: this edition’s cover photo is of the Coach & Horses in Hill Street, Mayfair which reopened after refurbishment on 25 August. It is said to be the oldest surviving pub in Mayfair.
You have to admire Shepherd Neame. Not only have they spent a significant amount of money on refurbishing this pub but, on its reopening, they made use of the pub’s name in a way I had not expected. As I turned into Hill Street there were two large black horses hitched to a coach, with a well dressed team ready to take attendees on a short trip around the block. Yours truly did not take advantage of this but I did enjoy a pint or two of Shep’s beer, in my case Whitstable Bay Pale Ale.
Close to Berkeley Square, the Coach & Horses dates from 1744 and is Grade II listed. It also rates one star on CAMRA’s inventory of historic pub interiors. It is by no means a large pub but Sheps have refreshed both the interior and the exterior, with new decor and furniture along with a lovely new handcrafted swing pub sign plus a very smart new traditional red Lantern. There’s a small, heated and covered outside area for food and drink; the new food offering features as a speciality flatbreads and charcuterie boards. As you enter the pub and turn left, go past the bar and you will find a snug area with plenty of seating.
I also salute Shepherd Neame for the money that they have spent recently on their London pubs (as well as others outside London) and their continuing support of cask beer. I recommend that you head to Mayfair to see what’s been done to the Coach & Horses. It’s well worthwhile doing so. For more details, go to https://camra.org.uk/pubs/coach-horses-london-128690. With thanks to Sheps for the photos.
NB. There is another Coach & Horses in Mayfair. At 5 Bruton Street, that one is a Greene King house.
John Cryne