Licensed 1733 and rebuilt in 1897 to the design of prolific pub architect William Brutton at a cost of £4,860. Still retains some etched glass, and tiled paintings by Doulton’s of Lambeth representing Shakespearean scenes, with two others showing hops and a vine. Now a busy establishment with a mixture of shoppers, theatre-goers, and tourists; with a younger clientele likely in the late evenings.
One star - A pub interior of special national historic interest
Listed status: Not listed
The star turn in this pub is the set of superb Doulton tiled panels featuring scenes from the works of Shakespeare.
Rebuilt in 1896/7 to designs by architect W.M. Brutton, this magnificent four-storey corner-site pub with its red brick facings and intricate detailing makes the adjoining buildings look quite ordinary. The outstanding interior feature is a splendid set of tiled paintings - four Doulton's of Lambeth tiled panels with Shakespearean scenes and two others depicting hops and a vine. An error seems to have been introduced into one of the former: the words quoted from 'Henry IV Part 2' are not spoken by Bardolph but by Silence (one of the justices). 'The Merry Wives of Windsor' is represented by a suitably corpulent Falstaff sporting a set of antlers. A dashing Prince Henry addresses Falstaff in the third scene, from 'Henry IV Part 1. In the fourth, the court jester Touchstone woos the goat-girl Audrey from 'As You Like It'; interestingly, apart from exchanging stripy apparel for a red outfit, the figure is the same as the jester at the Feuars Arms, Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland.
Rebuilt 1896/7 to designs by architect W.M. Brutton.
It has a splendid set of tiled paintings - four Doulton's of Lambeth tiled panels with Shakespearean scenes and two others depicting hops and a vine. An error seems to have been introduced into one of the former: the words quoted from 'Henry IV Part 2' are not spoken by Bardolph but by Silence (one of the justices). 'The Merry Wives of Windsor' is represented by a suitably corpulent Falstaff sporting a set of antlers. A dashing Prince Henry addresses Falstaff in the third scene, from 'Henry IV Part 1. In the fourth, the court jester Touchstone woos the goat-girl Audrey from 'As You Like It': interestingly, apart from exchanging stripy apparel for a red outfit, the figure is the same as the jester at the Feuars Arms, Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland.
Other magnificent displays of tiled paintings can be found at Café Royal, Edinburgh, Scotland; Mountain Daisy, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear; General Havelock, Hastings, East Sussex; Central Bar, Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland; Rose Villa Tavern, Hockley, Birmingham; Dolphin, Hackney, London E8; and Golden Cross, Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales.
This Pub serves no changing beers and 2 regular beers.
St. James Tavern, London