Princess Louise, Holborn, WC1

This pub underwent a major refurbishment a few years ago, which saw the restoration of the many screens used to partition the interior into cubicles, leaving us with, in my opinion, the finest pub interior in the capital. The pub can be entered through two doors, each of which leads into a corridor running to the rear of the building. From these corridors, you can step into a number of beautifully partitioned drinking booths, each giving access to the bar. At the end of each corridor is a larger compartment, which is perhaps your best bet to head for if the pub is busy (which it invariably is). There is plenty of etched glass, mostly used in the partitioning walls, as well as some fine mirrors and tile work. An impressive frieze runs just below the intricately decorated ceiling. This is a Sam Smith's pub with their usual range of beers, including OBB on handpull. The staff seemed very friendly on my recent visit and coped well with the large number of customers crammed inside. It goes without saying that you will appreciate the pub more if you visit at a quieter time of the day. I'm not the biggest fan of Sam Smith's beer, but they deserve plenty of praise for the work they have done here as the restoration can only be viewed as a success. This is like a trip back in time and I'd heartily recommend this as a 'must visit' pub.

Steve of N21 has already covered the Victorian heritage of this pub, so I won’t bang on about it too much. But it really is a tour de force of Victorian interior decoration. Just about every original feature remains (mahogany bar back, etched and cut glass, etc, etc) except the bar dividing panels that Sam Smith’s restored a year or two ago, and no doubt contributed largely to the pub refurbishment of the year award that they received. A one-time Watney’s pub (I have a photograph of the infamous Red Barrel sitting on the bar!) it is now a Sam Smith’s house, so the beer choice, although by no means good, is an improvement. This pub is definitely worth a visit to see a classic Victorian pub interior in pristine condition.

Randomness Guide to London - Princess Louise entry

Randomness Guide to London - Princess Louise entry

The Princess Louise is a gem of a pub, in that the interior has been carefully restored to her original fantastic Victorian opulence by Sam Smith. And as previous reviewers have commented it is worth visiting for this alone, even before considering the decent Sam Smiths OBB on hand pump at still under £2 a pint. An absolute brilliant display of decorative tile displays, cut glass and gilt mirrors, and richly ornate plasterwork cover the walls. And then the wonderful feature of the individual drinking cubicles put back in using the finest carpentry, each having their own personal bar space. And the passage down to the toilets and the toilets themselves are a work of art. I’ve often caught ladies sneaking into the Gents to have a look at the tiling (they said). The only downside of the Princess Louise is that it is rightly very popular, and as the cubicle areas, brilliant that they are, do make the available space quite small it can be an uncomfortably busy place to drink. That is unless you are lucky enough to get a group of you into one of the cubicles, which we were on Friday evening when everyone else was taking advantage of the sun and drinking on the pavement. And then I cannot think of anywhere better to enjoy a pint and conversation in London. And to add a couple of facts not previously mentioned, the pub was originally built in 1872 and takes its name from Queen Victoria's fourth daughter.