Wilton's, E1

Pub SignMan left this review about Wilton's

This is a theatre bar located in a beautifully restored Victorian building, which is generally regarded to be the finest remaining example of an early music hall. The hall was opened by the eponymous John Wilton in the 1850's, in an attempt to bring West End glamour and culture to the working class East End, and hosted all of the top music hall entertainers of its day. It closed on 1888 and spent the next seventy years as a Methodist mission, before becoming a rag sorting depot and eventually falling into dereliction. A long campaign to restore the building, saw incremental improvements made over the following decades, with more and more events taking place over time, including numerous movie and video shoots, such as the video for 'Relax' by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Now fully reopened with a regular programme, casual visitors can also visit the restored bar on days when a show is on. You enter theough a heavy door with a detailed stonework frame, into the lobby, with the bar through an open doorway to the right. The room has dark floorboards and exposed stone and brick walls that have been left deliberately scruffy, in that shabby chic style that seems to be in vogue, despite the presence of some great decorative stonework along the ceiling beams and as wall features. The servery is along the back wall and has a cool counter modelled to look like the front of a theatre balcony box. The bar back is a little plain in comparison, with a large blackboard listing drinks options but not too much by way of decorative features. There's lots of standing room opposite the bar, with drinking ledges to the left and all the seating in the front half of room - mainly tables and chairs with some fixed benches at the front. A couple of pictures of the theatre line the walls plus the word 'Wiltons', which has been spelled out in lights, but otherwise the decor is minimal and the room has been left to speak for itself. There's an overspill room on the left side of the lobby, but it's standing room only and has a few boards detailing the building's history. Staff seem chilled about folk exploring prior to house opening, so be sure to get a quick peek inside the main hall.
Like many London theatre bars, Adnams seem to have a monopoly on the bar, and there were three reversed Adnams pump clips on the handpulls when I arrived, as well as a few of their craft keg brews amongst the usual mainstream dross. I tried the Adnams Ease Up IPA, which was served very cold, but was fine once it had warmed a little. Annoyingly, Adnams Broadside and Evening Gleams came on the handpulls about ten mins after I ordered, but I wasnt able to stay long enough to try either.
This is a pretty stunning building that is worth visiting just so you can snoop around and get a feel for this magnificent survivor. Theatre bars aren't exactly exciting places to have a drink, but with the prospect of some decent Adnams beer and a fine building to check out, it's worth calling in for a quick pint.

On 13^th January 2024 - rating: 6
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]