The Chequers Tavern, St James's, SW1

Randomness Guide to London - Chequers Tavern entry

Randomness Guide to London - Chequers Tavern entry

A long, narrow single space with the bar to one side. A few tables front and rear and a drinking shelf to the side, facing the alleyway. Carpeted, with wainscotted walls and a dark red beamed ceiling. As the pub faces a square behind, it benefits from windows both front and back.There are a fair number of beer mats stuck to the side of a stair wall behind the bar, I assume indicative of previous guest beers. The selection on my visit was fairly mainstream, Pride, Doom Bar and Deuchers IPA. Not a bad pint of Doom Bar though. A large TV in the front corner was switched off Friday PM. Food on offer included fairly priced toasted sandwiches and hot baguettes, generally between £4-£5.

This is a very small pub, with a warm and welcoming feel to it. Clientele seemed a mix of regulars and tourists. It was very comfortable throughout, being carpeted (I always think that carpets make a place more “warm” than bare boards), with a panelled ceiling and lots of dark wood. I noticed that all the tables were reserved for diners – I suppose in these days a pub can't afford to lose the income generated by diners if those only drinking are occupying the handful of tables. Ales on were Deuchars IPA, Pride, and Bombardier. The IPA was fine. I also had a hot turkey and stuffing baguette which was pretty good at £4.25 – with Fortnum & Mason cranberry sauce no less. There was a large plasma screen TV – It was turned off on the Saturday lunchtime I was in, but maybe they switch it on if there is something worth watching. Won't get a lot of use, then. Definitely worth dropping in here for a pint if you are in the area. Oh, and thanks for the history lesson, Roger!

Really nice little pub just off Piccadilly. The poster below has described the Chequers very well so not much to add. The three ales on at the time of my visit were Sharps Doombar, Deuchars IPA and Fullers Pride and the Doombar I tried was perfectly fine. I imagine not a place to spend the evening with a crowd, but if you want a place for a decent pint just of Piccadilly, then the Chequers hits the spot.

Originally the Masons Arms after the stone masons yard situated behind pub.According to Pub history, the pub was opened for the masons prepraing the stone work for the building of the nearby St James Palace and they used the pub as a base for playing chequers. By 1751 it had simply become known as the Chequers pub and the name has stuck ever since. The earliest records date from 1731 however as the nearby Palace was built some 40 years earlier, we can assume that there has been an pub here in one form or another since the end of the 17th century. The current building has a Victorian facade but theinterior is considerably older. The quaint, carpeted L shaped interior is quite small even allowing for the original rooms being knocked through. The décor is fairly simple with plain walls and a slightly wonky but heavily painted burgundy ceiling. There are various plates, bottles and figurines dotted around the high shelves and traditional features like patterned windows and a bar frame are still intact. A quite disproportionately sized plasma screen dominates the front of the bar. There are usually 3 Ales, Pride, Directors + 1 guest (Theakstons on my last trip) and an orderly collection of previous guest beer pump clips can be viewed behind the bar. 60's music lovers will be interested in taking a short detour down the passage at the side of the pub into Masons Yard itself. No 6 was the art gallery where John Lennon first met Yoko Ono who was holding an exhibition there, No 9 was the photographic studio of Gered Mankowitz who took many classic photos here of legends such as Hendrix and the Stones and No 13 was the Scotch Of St James Club that hosted many famous 60's bands and was a famous Swinging 60's hang out. I think we can safely assume that the Chequeres was probably the 60's equivalent of Camden's Hawley Arms.

This tiny little pub was heaving on my recent Friday afternoon visit leading me to believe that I had walked into some sort of work party. It didn’t matter though as once I had fought my way to the bar I was promptly served a decent pint of Guinness by a very friendly barmaid. I was thankful for the covered alleyway running down the side of the pub so that I could escape the madness. Wandering around to the rear of the pub I came across a yard that is where I imagine punters spilling into on hot summer evenings. Doom Bar and Ordinary where both available during my visit and there was another hand pump with its clip turned. The draught selection wasn’t the most exciting, but I didn’t see much lager being drunk. Very basic pub grub was available (sarnies etc), but I didn't spot anyone eating. The large plasma screen was turned off and there was no background music that I can remember. I’d have no problem popping back in here for a pint when next in the area.