{"id":844,"date":"2020-03-23T20:54:42","date_gmt":"2020-03-23T20:54:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/?p=844"},"modified":"2020-03-23T20:56:11","modified_gmt":"2020-03-23T20:56:11","slug":"a-visit-to-ec1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/2020\/03\/23\/a-visit-to-ec1\/","title":{"rendered":"A visit to EC1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On the day after New Year\u2019s Day I took myself up to London. Perhaps, on reflection, not the best time, but all the same I got the Northern Line to Old Street intending to explore some premises that might serve real ale and that I had not been to before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having found my way out of Old Street station, I headed up City Road to look\nfor the Singer Tavern at No 1. Shouldn\u2019t be difficult, I thought, but I didn\u2019t\nrealise that City Road\nstarts the south side of the roundabout and I was on the other side! I carried on,\nlooking for Colonel Jaspers which more recently was the Bavarian Beer Kellar\nand it had now closed. Not a great start!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A little further along City Road I came to the Royal Star. I\ndoubtfully looked through the window and spotted one lonely handpump, badged up\nwith Purity UBU. I\u2019ll give it a go, I thought, so in I went. This is a corner\npub with a centre horseshoe bar, fairly basic with a wood floor and exposed\nbrick walls. There were a few customers in. I ordered a pint of the UBU (\u00a34.50)\nbut unfortunately, when the barman had poured it, I could see that it wasn\u2019t\ngoing to settle; I couldn\u2019t even see through it. The barman admitted that it\nhad been on for a few days and it was probably at its end, but he did have\nanother \u2018keg\u2019 in the cellar, and he would put it on. I waited while he\ndisappeared into the cellar. On his return he pulled through half a jug and\nthen filled up a pint glass. Needless to say, I still couldn\u2019t see through it\nand it only needed a sniff for me to hurriedly push it back across the bar.\nFortunately the owner then appeared and pulled through a few more jugs. Even\nthough it wasn\u2019t clear, at least it was drinkable. Things can only get better,\nI thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carrying along City Road, I turned left into Central Road to look for the British Lion. Too late; demolished and now a block of flats. On a bit further to the Corner Bar (ex Bulls Head). I looked through the window and saw three handpumps, all unbadged. I went in all the same to enquire but was told they were just for show. Out I went. At the crossroads with Goswell Road I spotted a lit up pub with Shepherd Neame signs on it. That must be doing something, I thought. It was the Old Ivy House, with black and green d\u00e9cor. I had actually been here eleven years ago and it was Shep\u2019s then. Previous to that it had been one of Bruce\u2019s Firkin pubs, the Pheasant & Firkin. Inside it was very quiet. It has a centre three-sided bar and a dining area to the far side and, again, a wood floor and exposed brickwork with the woodwork painted black. There were all high stools and tables in the bar; not to everyone\u2019s taste. At the bar there was just the one ale available, Shep\u2019s Christmas ale, Rudolph\u2019s Reward (\u00a34.40). It was alright. A few more punters did come in before I left so it livened up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Heading back to the crossroads and along Percival Street, passing the site of the\nShakespeare\u2019s Head, I came to the rather imposing Peasant. I kept thinking it\nwas the Pheasant, but no. Previously it was the George & Dragon. It seemed\nto have a quite atmospheric d\u00e9cor but on enquiring about the several handpumps\nwithout any badges, I was told the pub had only just reopened after the\nChristmas period and there wasn\u2019t any real ale available. Oh well, next time\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I next headed up St John Street and considering it was about 6.30 on a Thursday evening, it was very quiet with hardly any traffic or people about. Within five minutes\u2019 walk I came to what is now the Dame Alice Owen, an impressive brown glazed corner pub. It was previously the Queen Boadicea and originally the New Red Lion. Inside there was a long bar running the length of the pub, with a seating area to the back of it. There were nice red pattern floor tiles, brown glazed tiled walls, a black papered ceiling and black painted woodwork. Once again the pub was very quiet, but at least in this Star (Heineken) pub there was a choice of ales, well two anyway, on four handpumps. The choice was Oakham JHB or Watney\u2019s Pale Ale (brewed by Sambrook\u2019s). I went for the latter (\u00a34.40) and it was OK. One of the other pumps had Old Hooky as coming soon. I felt that when things get back to normal this would be a popular pub to come to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Further along St John Street I paused at the Pearl & Feather (ex Empress of Russia) which seemed to be more of a restaurant and had no real ale so I continued, passing where the Crown & Woolpack used to be, until I reached the Old Red Lion. Presumably \u2018Old\u2019 so as not to get confused with the previous pub when it was the \u2018New\u2019 one. I debated whether to call in here or to carry on to the \u2018Spoon\u2019s at the Angel. I opted for the Red Lion and glad I was too. It was rather like a time warp of how pubs used to be. Carpeted and cosy, with no high seating at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The actual bar runs along to the right hand side with the\nfront area enclosed by an unusual wood and glazed partition. Towards the back\nthere was a long line of leather bench seating. There was even red and white\nflock wall paper, with a red ceiling. Above a settee there are two white lions\non balls and pictures relating to the theatre upstairs. The pub dog even has\nhis own bed! It was nicely busy, with people attending the theatre, as well as\ncustomers just drinking and socialising. There were two ales available, Doom\nBar and London Pride, which I went for (\u00a34.20) and it was good. There were\npumpclips for Sharps Atlantic and Hobgoblin on two of the other handpumps but\nthey were turned around. Overall, the Old Red Lion was a good pub to finish in\nafter a not so specular afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OK I did call in at the Waterloo Tap while waiting for the next\ntrain\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clive Taylor<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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