WHITTYCHRISTIAN VISITS ALL 37 OF LONDON'S SAM SMITH PUBS

I decided to visit every single Samuel Smith's Pub in London (see also: http://whittychristianuk.tumblr.com/). For the record, this blog and project are in no way affiliated with Samuel Smith's Brewery: I'm just a fan of their booze and boozers. Here are my adventures.

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The Conclusion

37 pints later (let’s be honest - it was probably more than that), I’d finally visited every Sam Smith pub within the M25.

It was a project that allowed me to visit parts of London I hadn’t been to, and to learn more about pub culture and its place in London’s history. I also got to spend some quality time with the city I love, and with my good friend Adrien (pictured above) before leaving. Due to work circumstances, in April 2017 I had to leave London for Toronto, Canada. This also made my Samuel Smith tour a time to soak as much of my London life as I could before giving my liver a bit of a break.

To sit in the beautiful (for the most part), historic (sometimes), and TV-free (always) Samuel Smith pubs was an absolute treat. Long live the public house.

Cheers.

[samsmithwhitty]

Horse and Groom, Fitzrovia

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Pub #37: Horse and Groom, Fitzrovia

Tuesday, March 21, 2017 It’s the final pub of my project to visit all 37 Greater London Samuel Smith Pubs, and I saved it for last because it is my absolute favourite: The Horse and Groom in Fitzrovia. For a time I worked right next to BBC Broadcasting House, and the Horse and Groom became our regular. We would pop in for pints on cold nights to drink the bitter (and the bad tequila if there was cause for celebration) and stay warm by the fire. The Horse & Groom is in a Georgian building on Great Portland Street, just east of the BBC, and is an absolute gem. It’s relatively easy to walk right past, but when you stop and take notice you realize how charming and traditional it is. It has rounded windows with entrances on either side, bringing you into the dark saloon bar replete with chequered floor, ornate ceiling, etched glass, and a large bar. Horse brass is hung all around the room. In the back is beautiful lounge with a fireplace, the perfect spot to spend cold winter nights with friends. There is an upstairs but despite my many, many visits I never once made it up there. I could, and have, spend many an evening in here. For this final project visit, my good friend Adrien came with me for a re-visit of our old haunt. We got drinks (me a casked Old Brewery Bitter followed by a bottle Nut Brown that I badly poured, and Adrien a G&T) and sat in this beautiful old pub and reminisced about the old times. With that, I had visited all 37 Greater London Samuel Smith pubs.

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The Gazebo, Kingston Upon Thames

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Pub #36: The Gazebo, Kingston Upon Thames

Sunday, March 19, 2017 This wasn’t technically the last pub of my project, but it was the last pub that I hadn’t yet been to. I excitedly made my form Richmond to Kingston and walked down the Thames toward pub #36, The Gazebo. And my god was I ever disappointed. The Gazebo is frankly the worst Sam Smith Pub in all of London, and it might even be the lamest pub in London under any banner. The outside is interesting enough, situated right on the Thames path and with a very modern facade and two neat little drinking gazebos. It would make a nice place to drink next to the river if you were actually allowed to take your pints (you’re not). I thought maybe it might be hiding some old-world charm inside but I thought wrong. The place may as well be a cafe or an All Bar One. The walls are plaster and painted in cheery coffee-shop colours, the seating is made up of ugly modern upholstery, and the floor is a light modern hardwood. There is no casked beer, which is usually forgivable when the atmosphere is traditional and charming. In The Gazebo, it was yet another negative point toward the place. The atmosphere is absolutely miserable. I finished my pint and left this cafe moonlighting as a pub as fast as I could.

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The Rose of York, Richmond Upon Thames

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Pub #35: The Rose of York, Richmond Upon Thames

Sunday, March 19, 2017 The Rose of York is a beautiful old inn in the heart of Richmond. I sadly haven’t been able to find much information about its history, but it's charmingly old-world, and is not far from the Thames. I walked up through Richmond and was impressed with the scale of this pub. Inside it has very light wood, large open spaces, and a shockingly red carpet. It looks like it has a nice carvery but I just popped in for a pint. Sadly no casked ale, but I enjoyed sipping my bitter in this old inn. It felt as far away from London as possible, despite being well within the M25. I didn't linger too long and set off for Kingston for the next pub.

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The Town Wharf, Old Isleworth

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Pub #34: The Town Wharf, Old Isleworth

Sunday, March 19, 2017 Entering the final stretch of my quest to visit every London area Samuel Smith pub. Initially I hadn’t included the next three pubs in my list, being more Richmond Upon Thames and Kingston Upon Thames than London. But being a completionist, I decided that there was no good reason not to include them, especially since they are well within the M25. I’d never been to Richmond Upon Thames, so on my way to the (charming as hell) Old Isleworth, I popped over to the Richmond Lock to gaze at the wonder that is Victorian engineering. I crossed over the lock and made my way along the Thames to Old Isleworth for pub #34. The Town Wharf is a gorgeous Swiss-style chalet over-hanging the Thames. It is a large, two-storey wooden building with a very large outdoor patio that overlooks Isleworth Eyot. It’s tucked away from the main street, and really does feel like it’s in a small village and not London. I popped in to the faux wood-panel ground floor for a (sadly kegged) bitter and went out to sit on the patio for a bit. It was a tiny bit chilly so I migrated up to the first floor and sat in the lounge, with soft tufted chesterfields and a refined atmosphere.

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George and Vulture, City of London

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Pub #33: George and Vulture, City of London

Friday, March 17, 2017 Holy hell, I was in heaven here. Though strictly speaking the George and Vulture isn’t a pub, it’s still a Samuel Smith establishment as well as a little slice of heaven. This Grade II listed chop house was built in 1749 (with an inn on the spot since the 13th century), and was my Sam Smith everest: only open Monday through Friday between noon and 3 pm. With work (though not far away in Whitechapel) this was a tricky one to find time to visit. But when I did, it was absolutely glorious. Myself and two colleagues made the trek to Bank for some nosh. The building is tucked away down back lanes around Bank and feels like an ancient piece of London history. When you enter, you are overwhelmed by the traditional nature of the restaurant, with dark wood, odd angles, a large fireplace, and a dark ambience. This was a popular haunt of Charles Dickens, and it really does feel straight out of Dickensian London. Not being a proper pub, the George and Vulture doesn’t even have beer on tap and only sells bottles of Samuel Smith beer. I sat down for a lunch of roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, and potatoes (and Welsh rarebit to start) and with it drank an Organic Pale Ale. As long as you are a fan of traditional fare, this place will delight all of your senses. I ate myself into a stupor and waddled back to the office, belly full of happiness.

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Lyceum Tavern, Strand

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Pub #32: Lyceum Tavern, Strand

Tuesday, March 14, 2017 Adrien called it a night and I soldiered on for one last pint. I ducked down to the Strand and popped into the Lyceum Tavern. This boozer is a gorgeous one , with medium-stained wood, light flooring, and a pretty arched divider in the middle. Once again in the thick of a heavily-touristic area, the Lyceum Tavern still feels relatively quiet and sane inside. I couldn't find much information on it having any historic signifigance (though it apparently used to connect to the Lyceum Tavern through a back door), nor is it ornate in any way, but I really enjoyed the feeling of calm and tradition that emanated from the walls. I grabbed a casked OB Bitter and sat at a table across from the traditional bar, sipping away before retiring for the night.

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The Chandos, Charing Cross

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Pub #31: The Chandos, Charing Cross

Tuesday, March 14, 2017 After the disappointment that was the Duke of Argyll, Adrien and I made a bee line for The Chandos, just east of Trafalgar Square. Though another pub in a heavily touristic area, the crowd feels authentically London and the atmosphere inside is merry. We entered the enormous ground floor and ordered some drinks (casked Old Brewery Bitter). The interior is covered in dark wood, much more polished and well-maintained than the “worn” wood looks of other pubs. On the walls are drinking booths with gorgeous stained glass windows, giving the interior a splash of colour any time a vehicle drives by. This one’s a bit of a surprising gem rammed in an area where pubs usually just pander to tourists. I was not unimpressed, and I’d go back again. And I did. My camera wasn’t behaving in The Chandos so I popped in for an afternoon pint a few days later to get some better photos for this blog.

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Duke of Argyll, Soho

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Pub #30: Duke of Argyll, Soho

Tuesday, March 14, 2017 Onward to London Sam Smith Pub #30! We walked a bit deeper into Soho from The White Horse toward the Duke of Argyll, came around the corner, and realized… it's closed until fall for refurbishment. Shit. Well… technically we still “visited” it despite not being able to go in or have a pint, but that stung my completionist sensibilities just a bit. According to Sam Smith the old pub didn’t “feature the fine etched glass or dark wood panelling” of many of their other pubs, but I think the refurbishment is meant to rectify this and bring it back to its original designs. Samuel Smith Brewery says “it will be worth it” so I’ll just have to pop in for a pint when it’s done.