Features

Ale & Hearty In London

31 Aug 2008 by business traveller

One is never high and dry in London, where pubs are plentiful. Here are some of the best places to raise a pint or two (or three really) when next you visit.

RED, BLUE AND BOHEMIAN
The French House

The French House is an institution in Soho and entertains a regular crowd of actors, writers and arty types who use the little pub as their front room to meet, drink and talk. From the outside, it shouts French with a blue awning and tricolour flag. Inside, it’s small with a few bar stools and a couple of tables. Black-and-white photos of regular and famous guests cover the walls and upstairs is a small restaurant serving very good food at decent prices. To “encourage conversation”, music, games machines and mobile phones are banned.

Beers are only served in half pints and there’s a good selection of wine (champagne is served by the glass as are 20 different wines and 16 more by the bottle). The bar staff do a fine Bloody Mary too.

During the war years, the pub was called the York Minster but as it became a favourite of General Charles de Gaulle and his French troops, it was known on the streets as the French Pub. It wasn’t until 1987, however, that it was officially named The French House.

When the war was over, the pub became a bohemian melting pot with artists, musicians, writers, poets and actors mingling over a few drinks. Dylan Thomas famously left his only copy of Under Milk Wood at the “French” after one heavy session, and other famous guests over the years were Peter O’Toole, Oliver Reed and John Hurt.

Today, the French House attracts a similar crowd who reminisce about London’s good old days of wild nights and gossip from theatre land and the art world, along with a few actors and writers. You’ll be lucky to get a seat. Part of the experience of the French is squeezing past people deep in animated conversations as you reach for your drink.

CONTACT: 49 Dean Street, London W1, UK, tel 44 207 437 2799, www.frenchhousesoho.com

Felicity Cousins

WEST END FAVOURITE
The White Hart

Located on the corner of Drury Lane and High Holborn, The White Hart is reputedly the oldest licensed pub in London, with official records dating back to 1216. While it no longer looks like a pub from the 13th century, the inside still gives off an old-fashioned feel with its white and pale green panelling and traditional wood tables.

The atmosphere of this quiet pub is comforting. Looking behind the bar, a display of customers’ and employees’ pictures hangs on the wall, overwhelming anyone who enters with a feeling of being at home. The pub serves many regulars, who often sit in the same spot, and a customer of the week chalkboard honours those who often visit.

Known as a theatre bar, the pub has a late licence, allowing it to stay open until midnight Monday to Thursday and 2am on Friday and Saturday nights. Cast and crew from the West End theatres visit the pub regularly and tables are reserved for the cast of Hairspray every night. At the back of the pub, a plaque describes the history of the pub and the rowdy outlaws who were often served there. Some of these men stopped by the pub for a last drink before their last drop – famous highwayman Richard (Dick) Turpin visited just before he was hanged in 1739. Today, the pub still serves the wanted, with Jude Law and Sir Ian McKellen its regular drinkers.

Family owned by father and son John and Chris Scott since 2003, The Morton-Scott Pub Company has only two other pubs in London, which explains its sense of individuality. A range of beers from London Pride to Staropramen and Guinness is served and on Tuesday nights, crowds gather to hear live jazz between 6pm and 9pm.

CONTACT: 191 Drury Lane, London WC2, UK, tel 44 207 242 2317, www.whitehartdrurylane.co.uk

Emily Brett

BUSY JUNCTION
The Fitzroy Tavern

Any night of the week, the Fitzroy is jam-packed with a mixed bag of regulars. These include media types from the various production studios, which have spread north from Soho into trendy Fitzrovia, as well as hordes of students from neighbouring University College London. As a result, the pub is a hotbed of good conversation and excellent beer.

The interior is small enough to feel cosy but not cramped, even on a busy night, so it’s a good place to come if you’re in a large group. The walls are crammed with old prints of the pub’s former regulars, such as war-time sweetheart Vera Lynn. It was a favourite of writer Dylan Thomas, who had his wake held there and artist Augustus John, who said of the drinking joint: “The Fitzroy is like the Clapham Junction of the world. Everybody comes in or out at some time or another.”

It’s also a Samuel Smith’s pub, which you wouldn’t notice but for the beer, as Mr Smith apparently has a thing about advertising. Rather than fall for the hype, he’d rather the beer speaks for itself, which it does, especially after you’ve had a few. The cider also comes recommended.

The Samuel Smith’s brewery is the oldest in Yorkshire, and makes a stout that is reputed to be older than Guinness. The chain doesn’t serve any large-corporation wine, spirits or soft drinks, preferring to source from smaller independent companies.

In summer, the Fitzroy has big wooden tables and benches outside on its pleasant street corner – which, unfortunately, seems less spacious since the UK-wide smoking ban has driven everyone out onto the pavement. But on a warm evening it’s a charming spot for a quiet pint, even if you do have to fight for your patch.

CONTACT: 16 Charlotte Street, London W1, UK, tel 44 207 580 3714

Sara Turner

FUN IN THE CELLAR
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese

Another contender for the title of the oldest pub in London, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is located down an alleyway called Wine Office Court directly off London’s famous Fleet Street. Once home to the British newspaper industry, this famous thoroughfare is now overrun with banks and lawyers, but in previous generations, it attracted the likes of Charles Dickens, Oliver Goldsmith, William Butler Yeats, Oscar Wilde and Dylan Thomas, all of whom found the time to pop into the Cheshire Cheese.

History maintains that the Carmelite Monastery first owned the property during the 13th century, when it was used as a guesthouse. The earliest record of the building as an actual pub dates back to 1538 when it was called the Horn Tavern. Unfortunately, the original site did not survive the Great Fire of 1666, but it was rebuilt a year later, and a sign outside the main entrance lists the 15 monarchs who have reigned over London since that date.

The inside feels almost like a cellar, with its dark panelling and low lighting.You may get confused when first walking through and find that rooms lead to staircases, which in turn lead to further rooms and staircases, but the advantage of this labyrinthine layout is that you can easily find a quiet area to relax in.

Heading towards the basement, you must duck your head to avoid the low ceilings. The downward stairs lead to a room with its own bar and several wooden picnic tables with benches.

Over a corner table hangs a picture of one of the pub’s most famous visitors, Dr Samuel Johnson, who reportedly used to drink here and lived close by. Like the Fitzroy, the Cheshire Cheese is today a Samuel Smith’s pub, so visitors who want to emulate its many famous regulars can be sure of a good pint with which to do it.

CONTACT: 145 Fleet Street, London EC4, UK, tel 44 20 7353 6170

Emily Brett

SAY "CHEERS!"

There are no written rules about how to behave in a pub, but here are a few tips to make sure you have a good time.

Ordering

Pubs are busy lively places and in most pubs there is no table-service. If there is a big group of you, don’t all go to the bar at once as you will just get in the way of thirsty/drunk people. Instead, some of you should go and find a table and then a couple of you can wait together at the bar. It is common to buy a drink for everyone you are with – like, “It’s my round what would you like?” – as this way each person only has to queue up once. When you reach the bar, check to see where you are in the queue, then try and catch the bartender’s attention so that they know you are waiting. Don’t wave your money or shout at them, or you will be ignored.

Tipping

Bar staff don’t expect tips, but if you are making a big order or have stayed for a while, it is not unusual to say “and one for yourself” at the end of your order. This means that they will add a drink of their choice to your bill and will probably have it later when they have finished their shift. Don’t be offended if they decline.

Enjoy yourself

Before you take your first sip, say “Cheers!” to everyone in your group, then sit back and relax. Try not to stare at anyone, especially if they are drunk. It’s easy to lose track of time (and your belongings) in a pub, so make sure you keep your bag on your lap or between your feet. Don’t leave it on the back of your chair. When “last orders” are called, it means you have around half an hour to order and drink up, so don’t be over-ambitious. It’s always a shame to have to leave half a pint on the table as you get hauled out of the door.

Felicity Cousins

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