Shakespeare, London

A delightful back-street corner pub with many historic fittings to relish.

This three-storey mid-19th Century pub of London stock brick has its ground floor embellished with brown glazed tiles with black banding. The interior is now a single space with a promontory servery which has been noticeably shortened in recent years. There’s a fine Victorian counter which has console brackets embellished with scallop shell decoration. The rather overbearing central fitting is all new work. At the head of the servery is the entrance to private quarters: a glazed doorway with embossed decoration, flanked with wooden columns with florid capitals, and formerly with a clock above.  

The chief glory of the pub is the pair of outsized full height glazed vestibules, which add a tremendous lustre to the interior. Situated within the two principle entrances, each reaches to the lofty ceiling and is furnished with an ample array of etched glass. Both have mosaic flooring at the threshold with the name of the pub inset. At the Allen Road entrance, one of the doors, now dis-used, bears the legend “Luncheon Bar”.

There’s a simply-panelled dado, which looks original, and two cast iron columns with decorative capitals. The saloon bar was situated on the right-hand side of the pub, and was once equipped with a set of snob screens. It was extended into a private area at some stage, and the marble fireplace to be seen has probably been imported.