Freemasons Arms, London

Roomy gastro-pub, offering starters, salads, pizzas, pastas, mains and desserts, along with extensive wine list. Very popular with young professionals, it seems. interior still retains some nice features, such as fireplaces, but mainly dominated by track lighting, soft music, upholstered banquettes, wooden tables and chairs, along with recent extension to dining area (which sacrificed garden space in a less than aesthetic manner).

The still-large garden was allegedly the site of 17th century games of Pell-Mell (a Dutch ball game which gave its name to Pall Mall), though the pub is first recorded in 1820. There is the Hampstead Room below, which can be rented for private use.

Its unique feature lies in the basement, a full size "old English" or "London" skittle alley, now the only one in the capital (it has been prone to flooding from time to time, as the pub sits above a tributary of the River Fleet but a new manager [Nov 2024] seems to be on top of things and hopefully that will be less of an issue in future.). The Skittles Alley is run by a Club full details of which can be found at http://londonskittles.co.uk/

More of a dining than a drinking destination. Listed as an Asset of Community Value in Sept 2016. Unless this was renewed it will have expired.