March pub crawl

Some of you may recall my somewhat ill-fated Temple to Blackfriars pub crawl, which kicked off the Circle Line pub crawl. It took place on 2nd January 2009, a day on which, inexplicably, many of the publicans of Fleet Street decided to remain shut. Let's hope they don't all close for St David's Day as well.
Fleet Street must be one of London's best served thoroughfares in terms of watering holes. It is home to some of London's most historic and characterful pubs, although, sadly, not all retain that history or character. However, given that we have landed on Fleet Street this month, I think we should try and visit them all. It is a Friday evening in the City of London and so the odd pub may be too crowded for us, in which case we can move along. They are all within a very short walking distance of each other.

6.00pm - 6.45pm

The Old Bank of England
194 Fleet Street, EC4A 2LT
- Seasoned pub crawlers will know that this was never the Bank of England, merely a branch set up to service the Royal Courts of Justice next door. Being a bank conversion, you know what to expect: high ceilings and a slightly Victorian feel. Given its size, we should be able to fit in at this time on a Friday night – if the weather is spring-like, we could even try the outside area at the back… It's a Fuller’s.

6.45pm - 7.30pm

Ye Olde Cock Tavern
22 Fleet Street, EC4Y 2AA
- My least favourite pub on the crawl, I have to admit. It tries to play on its history (which is somewhat contrived) but, due to countless refits, feels just like any other modern pub owned by one of the major chains (in this case, Taylor Walker).
There was a Cock Tavern on Fleet Street as far back as the 16th century. It was apparently Samuel Pepys's favourite watering hole but, in actual fact, it was on the north side of Fleet Street. A pub opened here on the south side in the late 19th century, not that you'd know that now.
On the plus side, it is pretty large so we should find room.

7.30pm - 8.15pm

Tipperary
66 Fleet Street, EC4Y 1HT
- A much smaller but more characterful pub. It does have an upstairs room which is usually available and so I hope we can fit in. As the name suggests, it's an Irish pub. A popular haunt for Irish soldiers during World War I, it claims to have been the first pub in London to serve Guinness. Further claims that it is the oldest Irish pub in London (it celebrated its 400th birthday a few years back) are less convincing. The current building certainly dates back to late Victorian times but the Roll of Henry IV refers to a pub, the Bolt-in-Tun, being on this site back in 1443.

8.15pm - 9.00pm

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
145 Fleet Street, EC4A 2BU
- This one needs little introduction. I’m sure I don't need to tell you that this used to be the haunt of Dr Johnson, who lived round the corner. In case you haven't been before – or got too drunk to remember - the entrance is down a small alleyway, the wonderfully named Wine Office Court. Notoriously labyrinthine, descending down several floors into various cellar bars, I hope it will have quietened down sufficiently by this time to allow us some space. It's a Sam Smith's.

9.00pm - 9.45pm

The Old Bell
95 Fleet Street EC4Y 1D1
- One of the traditional Fleet Street dens of inebriety, this pub is one of two in London built by Sir Christopher Wren (do you know which is the other?) It was built for the workers rebuilding the nearby St Bride’s Church which had been destroyed in the Great Fire (Incidentally, it is said that the tiered design of wedding cakes was originally based on the spire of St Bride’s which you will see on our travels). The room at the front was originally an off-licence with the hard drinking done at the back. It’s now owned by Nicholson’s, so it has inevitably lost some of its historical ambience.

9.45pm - 10.30pm

Crown & Sugarloaf
26 Bride Lane EC4Y 8DT
- But this pub isn't on Fleet Street, I hear you say! Well, no it isn't now, but it once was. Once upon a time, there was a pub in Fleet Street called the Crown and Sugarloaf. Famous for its grand Victorian interior, it was one of the most famous watering holes on Fleet Street, where journalists and writers would meet up for their legendary drinking sessions. It was during one of those sessions in 1841, that Henry Mayhew and Ebenezer Landells conceived Punch magazine. The Crown & Sugarloaf was renamed in honour of the new publication and continued to be one of the regular haunts of Fleet Street hacks until the papers moved out. By the 1990s, the pub became run down, the owners fell out and the pub was split in half, with only the Punch remaining open. Then, in the early 2000s, the part that had been closed reopened as the Crown & Sugarloaf. It's now a Sam Smith's.

10.30pm - closing

The Punch Tavern
99 Fleet Street, EC4Y 1DE
- I have mixed feelings about this place. It certainly looks great (see above) but it doesn't feel that much like a pub any more.