The Magpie, Bishopsgate, EC2

An atmospheric little lane close to Liverpool Street Station and fairly typical of the Nicholson's brand with bare boards, lots of dark wood panelling and a fairly large and eclectic ale selection, much reduced since previous reviews. Heritage has given way to a marble/granite bar top which looks like it belongs in a kitchen and unfortunately, there's a games machine. There's a dining room upstairs and muted music played. What really lets the formula down though was the prevalence of some locals who swore to point that one could be forgiven for thinking that one had stumbled into a dockers' pub in E14; rarely have I heard such awful language - there's no way I'd come here on a date. Ales: Nicholson's Bitter, Sharp's Doom Bar, a reversed clip, St. Austell's Cornish Best and Exmoor's Silver Stallion at just £2.15 a half and a decent drop too. This isn't a bad pub but I won't be returning until the foul-mouthed dross is expelled, otherwise I'd have given the place at least another point.

This is a fairly compact L-shaped Nicholson's establishment situated at the end of a lane opposite Liverpool Street station. Wood panelled walls, a fireplace to one side and a backlit shelving arrangement in a cabinet featuring books, glasses and gin bottles. Otherwise decor consists of a large Nicholson's mirror plus the usual B&W photos of the area in yesteryear. A framed display explains that the pub is on the site of a former ambulance station which featured an electric ambulance. There are nine handpumps here, in two banks on each side of the central L-shaped bar, Saturday had a choice of Brain's Rev James plus Bread of Heaven, Truman's Runner, Doom Bar, Deucher's IPA, Great Heck Cleaveland Brown (£4.15), Ilkley Rosa Ostara, Hobgoblin and Nicholson's Pale Ale. Service was friendly and I was offered a taster when I turned my nose up at the Rosa Ostara which is brewed with rose petals. A very nice pub on a quiet Saturday afternoon, I doubt it is the same place post work in the week. Seating mainly at high tables and ledges but the place is small and I suppose they need to maximise the space. There is apparently another area upstairs but this was not immediately obvious.