Monthly Archives: November 2023

Food and Drink, Pubs

Places to Eat (City)

These are pubs and restaurants known to Pudding Lane Tours and associated Guides and which we are happy to recommend.

Nearby underground or railway stations are indicated after the address, e.g. ‘(Bank)’.

Comptoir Libanaise, Broadgate Circle EC2M 2QS  (Liverpool Street)
Bustling Lebanese restaurant (can be noisy)
Monday, Saturday: 11am-11pm
Sunday: 11am-9pm
Capacity: 40
https://www.comptoirlibanais.com/restaurants/liverpool-street
0207 657 1973
info@comptoirlibanais.com

Counting House, 50 Cornhill, EC3V 3PD (Bank)
Capacious gastropub in an old banking hall, private dining room available
Tuesday-Friday: 8am to 10pm
Monday, Saturday: 8am-9pm
Sunday: 8am-4pm
Capacity: 150
https://www.the-counting-house.com
020 7283 7123
thecountinghouse@partners.collinsbookings.com


Dirty Dick’s, 202 Bishopsgate, EC2M 4NR (Liverpool Street)
Quirky pub with an interesting history, private dining room available
Monday-Saturday: 11am to 10pm
Sunday: noon-8pm
Capacity: 40
https://www.dirtydicks.co.uk
020 7283 5888
dirtydicks@youngs.co.uk

‘Dirty Dick’ (the man himself) is mentioned on my Bishopsgate walk.

Ferrari’s, 8 West Smithfield, EC1A 9JR (Barbican, Farringdon)
Traditional cafe by Smithfield Market. Also offers Malaysian dishes
7am-7pm Monday-Saturday, 8am-5pm Sunday.

George and Vulture, 3 Castle Court, EC3V 9DL (Bank)
Regular haunt of Charles Dickens whose descendants are customers today.
Monday-Tuesday: noon to 4pm
Wednesday-Friday: noon to 11pm
Closed at weekends
Capacity: 40
https://george-and-vulture.co.uk
020 7626 9710
info@george-and-vulture.co.uk

The George & Vulture is a stop on my City Essentials walk.

Libertine, 1a Royal Exchange, Cornhill, EC3V 3LL (Bank)
In the cellars beneath the historic Royal Exchange.
Monday-Saturday: noon to late
Sunday: noon-7pm
Capacity: 40
https://libertinelondon.co.uk/
0203 772 6610
hello@libertinelondon.co.uk


Sugarloaf, 65 Cannon St, EC4N 5AA (Bank, Cannon Street, Mansion House)
A favourite of City Guides. Good food selection and excellent service but limited space
Monday-Friday: 12 noon to 11pm
Saturday: noon-9pm
Sunday: noon-7pm
Capacity: 18
https://www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk/restaurants/london/thesugarloafcannonstreet
020 7248 8928
nicholsonssugarloaf@partners.collinsbookings.com

Williamsons, 1 Groveland Court EC4M 9EH (Mansion House, St Pauls)
Sister pub to the Sugarloaf
Tuesday-Friday: 12 noon to 10pm
Capacity: 45
https://www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk/restaurants/london/williamsonstaverngrovelandcourtlondon
020 7248 5750
williamsonstavern@nicholsonspubs.com

Whilst this list is periodically updated we cannot guarantee that everything is up to date. You should confirm details with the venue before visiting.

Neither Pudding Lane Tours nor the Black Rat blog accept any responsibility for any loss, damage, injury or disappointment arising from visiting any of the above venues.

Art, Churches, Food and Drink, Free, Museums, Paganism, Public Toilets, Viewpoints

Venues to Visit (City)

When you’ve finished one of my tours there are several places to visit within which I am not normally able to guide. These are listed geographically from west to east. Entry is free unless a price is stated.

Although I try to keep things up to date, prices and opening times may vary from those shown here. Please leave a comment if anything is no longer accurate.

DOCTOR JOHNSON’S HOUSE
17 Gough Square, EC4A 3DE
Home of the compiler of the Great Dictionary Of The English Language
£4-£9. 11am-4pm Tuesday-Saturday. Booking not needed
www.drjohnsonshouse.org/visit.html
Chancery Lane underground

ST BRIDE’S
South side of Fleet Street at the eastern end behind the Old Bell pub, EC4Y 8AU
The Journalists’ Church with a museum in the crypt.
10am to 5pm daily (3.30pm on Saturday)
Blackfriars and St Paul’s underground. Blackfriars and City Thameslink national Rail

ST MARY ALDERMARY
Junction of Bow Lane and Cannon Street or Watling Street and Queen Victoria Street, EC4M 9BW
Best coffee venue in the City. A blitz survivor – check out the Wren ceiling.
7:30am to 4pm weekdays
Bank, Cannon Street, Mansion House underground. Cannon Street national rail.

GUILDHALL ART GALLERY
Basinghall St/Guildhall Yard EC2V 5AE
As well as the paintings you may visit the Roman Amphitheatre and also see the charter granted to the City by William the First.
10:30am to 4pm every day.
Bank underground

MITHRAEUM
12 Walbrook, London EC4N 8AA
The City’s only pagan temple.
10am-6pm Tuesday-Saturday; 12noon-5pm Sunday. Booking may be necessary but often not.
Bank, Cannon Street, Mansion House underground. Cannon Street national rail.

ST STEPHEN WALBROOK
39 Walbrook, London EC4N 8BN
A Wren masterpiece enhanced by Henry Moore.
10:30am to 3:30pm Monday-Friday
Bank, Cannon Street or Mansion House underground. Cannon Street national rail

ROYAL EXCHANGE
Cornhill/Threadneedle Street, EC3V 3LL
Sip a surprisingly reasonably priced coffee at Fortnum and Mason, enjoy the architecture, window shop for fabulous watches and jewellery at fabulous prices.
7:30am-10pm Monday-Friday
Bank or Cannon Street underground. Cannon Street national rail.

BANK OF ENGLAND MUSEUM
Bartholomew Lane, EC2R 8AH
10am-5pm Monday-Friday
Bank or Cannon Street underground. Cannon Street national rail

HORIZON 22
22 Bishopsgate, EC2N 4AJ
Viewing platform atop the tallest building in the City.
Free but booking essential: horizon22.co.uk
10am-6pm daily (5pm Saturday, 4pm Sunday)
Bank or Monument Underground; Cannon Street, Fenchurch Street or Liverpool Street national rail

LEADENHALL MARKET
Gracechurch St, EC3V 1LT
Horace Jones’ wonderful 1880s building.
Open 24 hours.
Bank or Monument Underground; Fenchurch or Liverpool Street national rail

MONUMENT
Fish St Hill, EC3R 8AH
Climb to the top of Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke’s memorial to the Great Fire
£6.  9:30am-6pm daily; closed 1pm-2pm.
There may a bit of a wait as only a few people are allowed up at once. Access to the top is via a narrow spiral staircase which may not suit everybody.

themonument.org.uk/plan/buy-tickets

Monument Underground; Cannon Street or Fenchurch Street national rail

THE GARDEN AT 120
120 Fenchurch Street, EC3M 5BA
Good view of the City from the roof terrace and usually no need to queue.
Monday-Friday 10am-6:30pm; Saturday-Sunday 10am-5pm.
Tower Hill or Bank underground; Fenchurch Street national rail

ALL HALLOWS BY THE TOWER
Byward St, EC3R 5BJ
Filled with history including a Grinling Gibbons carving and a Saxon stone arch. There’s also a museum in the crypt.
10am-5pm every day
Tower Hill underground; Fenchurch Street national rail

 Free PUBLIC TOILETS may be found at All Hallows, the Art Gallery (though you need to go through Security), Mithraeum, Royal Exchange and St Mary Aldermary. For the church facilities it would be a courtesy to make a purchase from the café or leave something in the collection box.

1800s, Railways, Transport, Tunnels

Tower Subway

A little way north of the Uber boat station by the Tower Of London you might notice a small cylindrical building called the Hydraulic Tower,

Today it carries a water main, hence the name, but its heritage is rather different.

Quite possibly you have used the nearby Tower Hill underground station which is not far from the site of the old Tower Of London station which opened in 1882 as a terminus for the Metropolitan Railway.

Even this, though, was not the first railway on Tower Hill.

In 1870 the Tower Subway, a 2’6” narrow gauge railway, was built from Tower Hill under the Thames to Vine Lane off Tooley Street by London Bridge station. There was a single carriage which was pulled by cables connected to a static steam engine at each end. It proved unreliable and a passenger died in an accident with the lift.

In 1871 the railway was taken up and it became a pedestrian tunnel with a toll of a halfpenny. It attracted a million transits each year. A bit of maths: 480 halfpennies to the pound, divide by 52, works out at £40 per week which was not a bad bit of bunce in the late 1800s – equivalent to £4,700 in 2020.

In 1898 it went out of business because of the free crossing afforded by Tower Bridge which opened in 1894. Today it carries a water main and phone lines. You can, however, see the original entrance.

The tunnel was bored by pioneer engineer James Greathead using an adaptation of Marc Brunel’s tunnelling shield as used to build the Wapping Tunnel.

The Tower Subway features on my Tower Hill tour.

Food and Drink, Pubs

Docklands Pubs

Live Music is great but pubs with that modern evil – piped music – are unlikely to get a mention. Sadly this pestilence destroys the atmosphere of many otherwise delightful establishments. If anybody can explain the upside of ones conversation getting drowned out by somebody else’s choice of music then I shall be curious to hear their thoughts.

Captain Kidd, 108 Wapping High St, E1W 2NE
Noon to 10:30 pm every day
Interior looks historic but this is a fairly modern pub (1980s) in an old warehouse overlooking the river. A Sam Smiths outlet with a fairly standard but dependable menu and decent portions. The Sunday roasts (including vegan) are very good.
Wapping Overground

Captain Kidd – the so-called pirate – features in my my Docklands North Bank walk. We go to the pub as well, of course.

The Ledger Building, West India Quay, 4 Hertsmere Rd, E14 4AL
9am to 11pm every day
Next door to the Docklands Museum. Spacious Wetherspoons pub with plenty of outdoor seating. The building dates from the early 1800s and was used to store the Dock’s ledgers. As usual, Wetherspoons have kept the original decor. Do go downstairs and visit the loos – the basement is remarkable.
West India Quay DLR, Westferry DLR

Also see City Pubs