Silver Cross, SW1

Official site of Silver Cross - www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk

Very large and historic pub serving a range of Greene King ales plus the occasional guest. The area by the main bar feels a little confined due to the low ceilings and pillars but it opens out more behind and there is also a large downstairs bar. To the side there is a slightly quieter stooled area with a nice room behind with a splendid vaulted ceiling, which can be reserved for private use. Lots of dark woodwork and traditional furnishings throughout.

This large Taylor Walker pub at the Trafalgar Square end of Whitehall stands on the site of a former brothel that was reputedly favoured by members of the Royal Family, although the current building only dates back to the early 1900's. The layout is somewhat haphazard, perhaps reflecting previous extensions into adjacent properties. The servery is located fairly centrally, with a room to the right that is effectively behind the bar and very much feels like an afterthought. Entering into the lower level front seating area, you find the usual dark floorboards and high tables and stools in a dimly lit space with a smattering of black and white photos to enliven the otherwise plain walls. The servery appears a little further back in a similarly bare boarded space with an angular dark wood bar counter, above which hang some nice lamps, and a bar back with decorative pub mirrors. Opposite is a reasonably tidy carpeted area, perhaps the cosiest spot in the pub, where you can find a curved padded banquette in the rear corner under an elaborate mirror and modern wallpaper. The room opens out significantly beyond the bar, where lots of standard tables and chairs can be found and where the smell of food was prevalent. The pub's location means it's a magnet for tourist groups and right on cue a large group of Chinese tourists piled in just as I was leaving. There were four ales available on this visit, but the handpulls are sited at opposite ends of the bar, so you'll have to walk the full length to make sure you don't miss out on something exciting. Options on this visit were Hamerton N1, Greene King London Glory, Truman Runner and West Berkshire Mr Chubbs. Three real ciders were also available as part of a festival that happened to be taking place across the Taylor Walker estate. I gave the N1 a try and thought it was pretty average, which is also a good description of the service. This pub clearly has a fairly interesting history but remains remarkably devoid of character and charm. The beer range was something of a saving grace but this really isn't the sort of place you're likely to want to spend long in, especially when you start to consider the superior options within a short walking distance.

This is now a truly enormous pub, both upstairs and downstairs, which has been given the look of a “traditional” pub. It’s nothing of the sort of course, having been mightily extended into adjoining buildings some years ago. I sat in the very narrow original part of the pub on the right, which still has a nice fireplace on the right, but it was decorated with Halloween tat when I was in. This is now a Taylor Walker pub so expect the usual pub grub menu. There were four ales on, but nothing very special. The London Pride was off par, but the Broadside was good. I had to ask for a top up for my short measure pint. As stated by others, this is inevitably a tourist pub given its location just a stone’s throw from both Trafalgar Square and Horseguards, but you can usually find a seat in one of the darker recesses. I’ll probably end up in here again because it’s handy for meeting people, but it’s not one that I would go out of my way to visit.

The Cross of the title refers to a medal (actually called the Memorial Cross) that was inaugurated in 1919 by the Canadian government to honour its country’s mothers and widows following the First World War, later extended to take in subsequent conflicts. My initial flirtations with the pub were when it was a cosy, narrow single room bar similar, but not as extended, as the Old Shades a few doors down. The original pub is still there (the tall narrow building to the right as you enter from Whitehall) but a 1990’s renovation saw the place spread across the 3 adjoining buildings and down into the basement creating a disjointed, rambling and cavernous pub with a very plastic and contrived feel about it. Despite the abundant floorspace, someone has still decided it is a good idea to push a table up against the bar counter right by a bank of hand pumps creating an unnecessary obstacle. Aside from a few old photos of local buildings and a genuine Silver Cross medal (by the door of the “original” pub), there isn’t a great deal of interest. The original pub is probably the only part that has anything by way of any character with a slightly raised section containing an old fireplace and some old portraits. The basement is largely for functions and group bookings, has its own bar and, from what I could see, the pub’s only TV. The beers are for the most part predictable as per the normal Taylor Walker choices although the Golden Hen, Pride and Broadside were joined by Solebay Brewdolph on my recent visit. The quality was better than I have had in the past and service was adequate although I should mention that I probably haven’t been here for the best part of 5 years due to previous horrendous experiences with both beer quality and service. Foodwise, it’s a typical pub chain menu to suit the majority with prices around £9-£14 for main courses Being 50 yards from Trafalgar Square you can expect the customer base to be largely tourists and the pub plays right into their hands. I have witnessed 50 strong coach parties marching through the pub, filling the reserved seats down in the basement, eat their fish and chips, sample a ½ pint of “beer” and then disappear for the “London at Night Tour” as per the itinery, t-shirt in hand having experienced the “traditional London pub experience”. Given that there are several more pubs of much better quality in the area I don’t find myself using the place on too many occasions but on this occasion the service and beers were at least better than I have encountered before.