The Old Bank of England, Fleet Street, London A Pint Of Ale Pub Review
A large, ornate, beautiful pub, The Old Bank of England on Fleet Street is well worth a visit just to see the pub’s interior!
Fleet Street was to be our first stop on our mini-Monopoly pub crawl grand adventure 2006. We’d noticed that The Old Bank of England pub is listed in the 2007 Good Beer Guide, so decided to give it a try. Fleet Street is dominated by gorgeous, ornate, Italianate-style buildings and this one really stands out. Once the Bank of England, this is now a stunning, Cask Marque awarded pub complete with staircase entrance and burning fires on poles outside. It was not even midday when we climbed the steps into the ornate interior.
The pub is one large room with a very high ceiling and huge rectangular bar dominating the centre. This is a feast for the eyes. The ceiling is very ornate - green and red moulded plaster with three massive brass chandeliers hanging down above the bar area. The far walls are decorated with murals while framed bank notes, maps and banking-related artefacts adorn the other walls. Tables and chairs are placed against the walls all around the central bar. A mezzanine level will give wonderful views down onto the bar, but it was closed on our visit. A huge Christmas tree was placed in the corner by the entrance, just in front of the large fireplace. (It looked disused, but we’re not sure on this point).
It being so early, it is difficult to review the atmosphere or the service. There were about three staff serving us and they all were friendly. One even allowed Mike to change £15 in shrapnel into nice crisp notes - a nod to the historic use of the building perhaps!
Being a Fuller’s pub, the drink choice was broad across the Fuller’s range. There is also a wide choice of pies. We both opted for the steak and Fuller’s ESB offering, a wonderful way to start our eight-pub cross-London crawl.
This is a pub worth a visit, if only to gawp at the wonderful interior. Should you happen by, ensure you pay a visit to the toilets. Up a small staircase, you pass some antique-looking chairs and then enter the most amazing traditional toilets we’ve seen in a while.
An excellent start to our Grand Adventure!
Pub Number 1 - the card
| FLEET STREET | |
|---|---|
| Pub: | The Old Bank Of England |
| Arrival Time: | 11.54 (6 mins ahead of schedule) |
| Departure Time: | 12.48 (12 mins ahead of schedule) |
| Drinks: | 1 pint of Fuller’s ESB, 1 pint of Fuller’s Discovery |
| Drinks cost: | £5.75 |
| Ales available: | Fuller’s London Pride, Fuller’s ESB, Fuller’s Discovery, Fuller’s Winter Brew, Fuller’s Chiswick Bitter. Many other bottled Fuller’s ales. |
| Brewery: | Fuller’s |
| Music: | Yes. (Ray LaMontagne on arrival) |
| Would we come back? | Matt: Yes. Mike: Yes. |
| Matt’s score: |  |
| Mike’s score: | |
