Charing Cross and Strand Pubs

[@jeffreyromain7336]

Blimey, memory lane. It's been about 24 years since I've been down this route. I think a revisit is on the cards.

[@shaunwilson3139]

I worked in the ship and shovell in 2004 and 2005. The smaller side was a bit cosy to work in on a busy friday night. Thanks for the video im now remincising of my time in London and the people i met while working there.

[@keithfowler2013]

Whenever I go to London, I always have to visit a couple of pubs. Town pubs seem to have a very different atmosphere to more rural watering holes. I've absolutely loved these videos and am looking forward to a Christmas visit. Can I say ,you have got a great hobby,and thanks for sharing.

[@TweedyPubs]

Thanks Keith! Yes I completely agree, town pubs and rural pubs do have a very different feel, but I love both, in different ways. Really glad you enjoy the videos, and yes making them is a fun hobby - I actually really enjoy the research. Particularly in this video I think I made some small but novel contributions to the field of pub history: an earlier record for the existence of the Ship and Shovel than any I'd seen elsewhere (1781) and that 1827 newspaper cutting which suggested the Lyceum Tavern may have been there before the first Lyceum Theatre. Not exactly earth shattering but in a small way quite satisfying!

[@keithfowler2013]

@TweedyPubs Non earth shattering is great in this present world. I'm going to work my way through your collection and plan a visit to Town soon. I also enjoyed your Oxford video and loved the insight into my hometown pubs. Take care now. I'm off to Bloomsbury !!

[@johnsharp8632]

I worked in Shell Mex House behind the Savoy in the early 90s and The Coal Hole was our local. Always loved the interior, particularly those friezes. Clement Scott, who you mentioned, wrote an article dubbing the area of North Norfolk near Sheringham 'Poppylands'. He created a rush of visitors to the area (including many of his acting friends) the area could not cope with. He later regretted it. I believe the Ship and Shovel was closed when I worked locally and I've certainly never visited it. I noticed that the excellent Sherlock Holmes room contained a blackboard with figures relating to the novel 'The dancing men'. Thanks for all the history....very well researched Tweedy.

[@TweedyPubs]

Thanks John, glad this brought back memories! Yes indeed the black board there did relate to The Adventure of the Dancing Men.

[@andrewlawrencemilton]

When my father finished his printing apprenticeship in the 1950s, the celebrations included a pint in every pub along The Strand. More difficult then than it would be now.

[@liberty_and_justice67]

Sherlock Holmes pub looks wonderful. Rain and a good ale looks even better. As always, interesting narrative 🎉

[@TweedyPubs]

Yes I have a real soft spot for the Sherlock Holmes - it's a real triumph of 1950s whimsy over modern corporate blandness!

[@HarryBooth-ow9lb]

Tweedy these videos are excellent, keep up the great work buddy 👍 🍻

[@TweedyPubs]

Thanks Harry!

[@alistairh202]

The research that goes into these video, Tweedy, is incredible... and much appreciated. Hats off! I recall, back in early January 2014, staying near Waterloo Station and going for a walk with young family on the early evening we arrived in London after about a month travelling in France (from Australia). We went for a decent walk, and on the look out for a pub for dinner we just happened across the Sherlock Holmes. How nice it was to tuck into some fish and chips with mushy peas followed by chocolate pudding! The staff were so delightful, especially to my daughter aged 7 at the time. Very keen to return, at least because we didn't get a chance to visit the Holmes exhibit upstairs.

[@razzle1964]

‘interregnum’. Awesome. ‘The Ship & Shovel’ and ‘Coal Hole’ ring a bell from my early, heavy drinking City days … so, that’d be throughout the ‘80s, I guess.

[@gerrys1]

Glad you veered into Gordons! Always worth stopping by

[@Chasworth]

Nice one tweedy👍🏻

[@sharpear1031]

Thank you Tweedy; The Ship and Shovell is now on my list.

[@Thefisherman27]

You certainly did your homework on the coal hole(both).The history was very interesting and has made me see that pub in a different light. Elementary.

[@TweedyPubs]

Thank you! Researching the Coal Hole was fascinating, especially finding that 1896 newspaper article by Clement Scott, which was a real treasure trove and really brought the pub (or at least the nearby pub it was named after) to life. I always had this idea that the further you go back in time, the more prudish people were, but the reality is a lot more up and down. So it was really interesting to read a commentator in the 1890s writing disapprovingly about the moral standards of a period of a few decades earlier.

[@matthew_whitfield]

loving this series

[@earinsound]

I remember specifically going to the Sherlock Holmes pub in 1991 on my first trip to London. It was TOTALLY different-not bland in the least. It wasn’t part of Greene King. The pub had sofas and was very much like a living room (lounge to you), very comfortable, no muzak. Being an SH fan I absolutely loved it. My next time going there, specifically once again, was in 2019. I had the SH ale then beat a hasty retreat, sadly. By the way, I love your videos. We seem to have very similar tastes in ale. Kind regards from Oakland, California

[@TweedyPubs]

Thanks for sharing those memories! I agree the pub probably does feel a bit unloved today, the staff seemed disinterested and even the tourists looked like they were going through the motions... but I was lucky to have the upstairs room more or less to myself for the first 15 minutes or so of my visit, and had a really good look at Holmes's study. I think if you can catch it at quiet moments like that some of the original charm still shines through.

[@robcoles8493]

Now i love london history and pubs and this review was fantastic. I used to work just off the strand and have been to all the pubs you reviewed. Thanks for all the research and a very entertaining review. Look forward to the next one.

[@TweedyPubs]

Thanks Rob! Glad you enjoyed the video and that it had some personal relevance for you. I think the Strand is a really interesting area of London.

[@fuzylogik]

‘interregnum’ and "wall of fermented curd' peak tweedy. as always great content

[@AngieDuncan-tm7ud]

We stayed in Charing Cross when we were in London last year and visited almost all of these (somehow missed The Coal Hole) while we were there. It’s great to get a better look at the interiors, because they were all so crowded at the time. Thanks for bringing back great memories. I really enjoy your videos and hearing the history. I now have lots of new pubs to visit next time!

[@TweedyPubs]

Thanks Angie! Glad you enjoyed the videos. I try to go to these pubs when they're really quiet (mid-week, earlier in the day), partly because I don't want to annoy people in the pubs with my filming, but it is also just a nicer experience for me than when it's busy!

[@FrugalMrB]

I was only thinking a couple of days ago whether you would visit The Sherlock Holmes - it's one of only 3 pubs I've ever visited in London (of the other 2, one was The Cider Tap which is now closed, and I can't remember the name of the other - too much cider being consumed!). Great video once again, full of information. Thanks, Andrew

[@kevinhouse7143]

I thought for sure you were going to refer to Carting as "Farting" lane. Great to see Gordons as well in this one. Definitely going to visit that spot when I'm next in town.

[@markriley5863]

I have been to the Ship and Shovel (both halves) what a boozer! Going back to a previous upload i share your dislike for Youngs. A vile beer in my opinion particularly when served at Lords. Oh sorry a sport reference 😊 You are the sort of chap I would like to go on a London pub crawl with. Keep up the good work.

[@mitchellkitts6444]

Check out The Harp, just across the road from CX nick.

[@tvbrookecmb2688]

I am a big fan of late drinks and cheeses plates at Gordon's...

[@DEFIPI]

Excellent as always

[@davidtepper2290]

No problem featuring Gordon's. We were there in June and enjoyed it.

[@TweedyPubs]

Thanks David, I feel like I went out on a bit of a limb there so I appreciate the thumbs up!

[@aethellstan]

the ship and shovel is an excellent pub, serves badger beer on tap, i really recommend the caramel stout, absolutely delicious (i don't normally like "jazzed up" beers but this one was lovely

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

A lot of research here - amazing commitment. I think this is the first of your London pub videos where I recognise one, and that’s the Sherlock Holmes. Such a wonderfully nostalgic place. Nostalgic for the exhibition display, rather than Sherlock Holmes and interesting to think that the stories were only 50/60 years old then. I hadn’t considered the point you make about the amount of floor space dedicated to the display. How wonderful that this 1950s interpretation lives on. Very much liked the look of the wine bar too and I would love to check that out if I’m ever in town again. Ship and Shovell had great appeal as well. Fantastic video and a lot of work!

[@TweedyPubs]

Thank you! I think I remember saying to you a while back that I liked making the pub videos because, compared to wild camping videos, I could get the whole thing done in a single day from start to finish. Somehow the time involved seems to be creeping up with each one and I think this one has practically been a three day effort! Most of Monday doing research, yesterday filming / editing, but then I wasn't happy with the editing and started again from scratch today, plus also re-recorded some of the talky bits. I found the sound quite challenging for this video, mostly background music in the pubs and other noise getting in the way. I arrived in the Sherlock Holmes at practically midday sharp, I was the first customer in the upstairs bit, and on seeing me the one member of staff on duty flipped a switch to turn on the music - I really wish she hadn't! Anyway despite those slight trials and tribulations it was fun making this, particularly the research part, and I actually feel like I furthered the (not particularly academic) field of pub history in a couple of small ways in doing so, which was very satisfying. Yes I do think there's a wonderful nostalgia to the Sherlock Holmes exhibit in the pub. You have to go in with a state of almost Zen like meditation to not have the experience ruined by all the regrettable trappings of modern London pubs (the piped music, the generic beer, the microwaved food, the tourists just going through the motions, the indifferent staff...)... but if you can rise above all of that it's a real treasure trove. A sort of a halfway point between us and the time of Conan Doyle, frozen in time. I suspect on some level the executives at Greene King hate it for the dead space it creates but at the same time they begrudgingly understand it's the only reason people keep showing up in droves to eat the lousy food and drink the underwhelming beer. It is a bizarre and rare example of corporate greed actually helping to preserve something, for a change!

[@markjones327]

Great vid mate the ship shovel is a fantastic little pub one of my favs so peaceful and interesting thanks tweedy 💥👍

[@andrewdolinskiatcarpathian]

The Sherlock looks little changed from when I downed a pint many, many years ago. As for the others, they are definitely on my must visit list. Thank you for such an interesting and well researched pub crawl. 🍺👍👏👏😀

[@liamkatt6434]

Wow! What an amazing find Gordon's wine bar is! I am 5,000 miles away, but have to go! How I wasted my time living in London! Could have just walked to so many places....I spent too much time in Ward's Irish House in Piccadilly Circus retracing my father's footsteps of 35 years before.

[@SlurpyDave254]

Love the 2 Ship & Shovels John...wotba shocking day weather wise.. last beer Chestnut ale looked nice, cheers😊

[@TweedyPubs]

Thanks Dave! Yes if I was just going to recommend a single pub out of this bunch it would be the Ship and Shovel... If I was going to recommend two it would be the other half of the Ship and Shovel! 😁

[@JohnAleman1]

Some very nice pub interiors there Gordon's wine bar looks very atmospheric keep enjoying the ales🍻

[@TweedyPubs]

Thanks John!

[@mitchelluk1445]

sherlock holmes pub although is very nice and the location is beautiful, i don't think i have ever been there and not seen a tourist at the bar complaining about the below par food hahah love the coal hole, fond memories there of my times working in the area, very friendly crowd after work hours as well, you don't get that us vs them feeling there, its kind of laid back and a good vibe and nell of old drury is just a brilliant little tucked away pub, just got to be carful when you have had a few going down the steps to the toilet, always seems to be someone famous in there as well always reminds me of the film "interview with the vampire" why i dont know but it just does hahah thank you tweedy for another great vid, i actually think the rain added to the ambience haha

[@TweedyPubs]

Yes I agree the food at the Sherlock Holmes wasn't good - it had the feeling of something pre-pared off site then just microwaved. I don't regret it though as it gave me longer to sit and look at the exhibit in the corner there. I think it probably still worked out cheaper than a visit to the Sherlock Holmes Museum on Baker Street and was a lot less crowded!

[@tonybatley6101]

Wow, always enjoy jools guides for his informative exchanges around different parts of London and quite by accident (a happy one) stumbled across your channel too! Very informative, packed with useful detail about the different hostelries. My partner and I come to London quite often (we're from Huddersfield) and love all the history, historic buildings...and of course old pubs with a story to tell!! We were in the Coal Hole last time we were down (last August or September). Thanks so much for all your research and easy going pleasant presentation, it works well, all you guys who have these kind of channels are better than the bloody TV! Thanks again!

[@TweedyPubs]

Thanks for that very nice comment Tony! I actually bumped into Jools in the street a little while back - it's a small world. I think the Coal Hole is a great pub - good choice... and I agree the TV is lacking anything I want to watch these days so I'm happy to hear my videos are helping a bit to fill that gap!

[@Oscartherescuedog]

Commenting for the algorithm but more importantly to heap praise upon Tweedy! Those pubs looked great!!! I liked all of them but The Lyceum Tavern looked a little bit extra good to me - those booths and 1st floor area looked great too.

[@TweedyPubs]

Thanks Seán! Yes those booths in the Lyceum were really appealing. The sort of pub spot that if you're lucky enough to grab you'd be reluctant to let go of...

[@ysgolgerlan]

Thanks for the video, what an interesting area. 👍

[@JEFFERYSJOHNSON]

Gordon’s is awesome! :-)

[@bulltraderpt]

Just found your channel. Really great content. Thank you for getting in to youtube.

[@garymcguire8529]

I know the " Coal Hole", it has a stuffed Moose head on the wall, which you might say is a Moose see feature.

[@AnyoneForToast]

The discrete "superman curl" that you briefly sported in the intro was a distinguished, brave new look. You wore it well. Oh, and top work chap.

[@TweedyPubs]

Thanks AFT! Not by design, just a facet of the rain (and possibly having had a hair cut earlier in the day)?

[@davidb7292]

Great video. Cheers!

[@Maitreya0208]

I’m very much a beer, not wine, fan. But I never miss a chance to drink in Gordon’s. A few glasses and some cheese and charcuterie at Gordon’s in a few hours well spent.

[@TweedyPubs]

I do like wine but to be honest don't really drink much of it in bars / restaurants because I find the markups so crazy! With draught beer, particularly real ale, there's something there which is actually quite hard to recreate at home, and I can appreciate some extra effort on behalf of the staff of the pub has gone into providing that in (hopefully) good condition... but with wine the restaurant/bar is really adding nothing but the price! Yes I know they'd say it's about the atmosphere and the setting but the drink itself is exactly the same as it would have been if you had bought the same bottle of wine and had it at home.

[@bregawn]

The Nell of Old Drury featured in Alfred Hitchcocks 1972 film Frenzy

[@malbecmikegrey996]

You mention the Ship & Shovel's name as a possible reference to Naval commander Sir Cloudesley Shovell. If so, it may have been one of derision. Shovell commanded a group of ships returning to UK, approaching the Scilly Isles, when he was advised by a crew member that his ship (I believe The Association) was heading straight for the islands themselves. Shovell wouldn't have it, had the crew-member flogged. and promptly crashed the fleet. I'm sure other readers can add to this tale of upper-class incompetence; I remember seeing a blue plaque to this dimwit on a house in Hastings Old Town.

[@toowindytoskydive]

SIr Clausdley Shovell is a name of a HM band as well!

[@johnhiscott-walsh5198]

Good research John.

[@antonybrown4231]

interesting video, I am Londoner so I know these pubs but I do sometimes get frustrated with the dominance of Greene King and Sam Smith beers. I appreciate some people like those beers but for me they just don't taste that great even when well kept. This is a shame as GK & SS own some beautiful pubs in the west end as per this video.

[@Ricimer671]

I always drink responsibly, sometimes I am so responsible I can barely stand!

[@gra567]

Ship and Shovell is a good pub. Alas never been on any of the others.

[@TweedyPubs]

You've been to the best (in my opinion) of this bunch then! I think part of what I liked about it is that there wasn't any piped music, just the sound of conversation. The way pubs should be, again, in my opinion.

[@johnorchin8567]

It seems to me totally incompatible to enjoy the historical ambiance of an old pub, but at the same time enjoy very modern pop music which of course would not have existed in the era that these pubs represent, and hope to take you back to. If I’m wrong maybe other viewers could enlighten me.

[@TweedyPubs]

I agree, I would far rather pubs didn't have music at all. I think even older styles of music (classical? jazz?) would probably seem out of place, and would only appeal to some, but not all, of the customers. Isn't the sound of conversation and the clinking of glasses enough?

[@simonworby]

10:00 (Victoria) Embankment Gardens?

[@unsignedmelodeys]

Not sure what time you got to the ship and shovel but the left half was always closed when i went there, lovely boozer

[@unsignedmelodeys]

Gordon's is a masterpiece of Londons wine bars, the celler is a hard seat to get

[@TweedyPubs]

Yes when I was doing the research for this video I saw a few mentions that the smaller half is sometimes closed, but I've always been fortunate whenever I've been there and it has been open. On this occasion it was just yesterday, a rainy Tuesday lunchtime in November - hardly peak pub season!

[@TweedyPubs]

@@unsignedmelodeys There were a couple of stools in the unreserved bit in the cellar I could have grabbed on this occasion - I get the sense this is more of an evening venue?

[@tomjones7593]

A vingnette ? With apologies to the OED !

[@galveenus8499]

👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@Ian-g1w3u]

Wine how can people drink that..😮 beer always Qs

[@kevanhubbard9673]

That Sherlock Holmes dummy looks more like Vladimir Putin than Sir Basil Rathbone!

[@Gunnercv]

2:00 Putin?