The Last Judgement, Chancery Lane, WC2

Grand former bank converted by spoons. Large open plan main area with more seating in a raised area at one end. It's nice enough but I think Fuller's would've made a more opulent job of the opportunity. Double it up with the nearby Old Bank of England.

According to a piece on the menu, this place is named after the warrior monks who, until the 12th Century, owned the land where Chancery Lane now stands. Apparently the original Cock Tavern - now sited over the road - once stood on this site. Anyway, there were loads of ales on, but nothing very different from what you might see in any London pub - Spitfire, Ghost Ship, London Pride, Fuller's ESB, Old Speckled Hen, Sambrook's Pale Ale, and Young's Bitter. Perhaps I'm getting blase, but as extensive as it is it, it does seem a bit unimaginative. The traditional breakfast is still good value at £4.49, but is still £1.50 more than at my local 'spoons in Kingston or Raynes Park. But the building it's housed in - a former bank - is perhaps the most magnificent I've seen for a 'spoons. The ceiling's higher than your typical Victorian gin palace; there are marble faced columns on the walls; several fluted and gold painted capitalled pillars in the room, and sufficient Knights Templar themed decor around the place to satisfy the most ardent Knights Templar afficionado. But the best area for me was up the stairs on the left, where there are several interconnected drinking areas looking down on the main room, with bookshelves and portraits giving it a gentleman's club feel. If you can get in here early enough for the 'spoons brakfast, it's certainly a grand and majestic place to enjoy your repast, but it's bound to get busy and noisy later.

Definitely one of the most opulent Spoons I have ever been in, obviously a former bank. I especially relished the large sash windows, black ornate pillars finished at the tops with bronze gilt and the ceiling finished in a deep orange, with black cornice. Large polished brass chandeliers each containing 24 lamps gave plenty of light. There were 12 hand pumps and only four in operation, on our 2nd Jan visit. We went for the Upham Punter at £2.49 a pint, Spoons January sale price.

One of my favourite JDW's in London. I call in regularly on my "Get off at Temple" crawl. Very ornate inside as it was once a bank. Very high ceilings with chandeliers, balustrades on the stairs etc. It doesn't seem to get as crowded as many other places around here, which is a good thing. It's mainly one large room but there are a number of more secluded areas up a few steps to the left. The service is always good and I've never had a poor pint althought they don't have as many guest ales as some of the other JDWs that are close by. There's a quiz machine and the usual excessive amount of bandits which look a bit out of place in here. It's definitely one of the best JDWs in the city.

My 11:00 morning visit found this place to be fairly quiet. The ornate building is well described below. The problem with this place for me was the poor choice of ales. Of the twelve pumps present 5 were blank, two had cider, then there was White Horse Cheval Blanc, Hobgoblin, London Pride, Abbot and Banks's Howling Wolf. I went for the Cheval Blanc (£2.90) which was only in reasonable condition. This would have been over three quid in most other Central London Spoons. Despite the ornate surroundings this was another disappointing Central London Spoons due to the pathetic ale choice. PS: According to the Whatpub site there are camping facilities nearby, I can't say I noticed them!

A very impressive Wetherspoons which was converted from an old bank so plenty of neo-Classical/Barque architecture and ornate décor; high decorated ceilings, wood panelling, chandeliers, tiled fireplaces, large portraits, a long curved bar counter and impressive pillared bar back. The main section of the pub is fairly open-plan (and noisy) but there a number of small rooms up a few steps to the rear that offer a little more intimacy and some afford a rather grand view of the main bar area. My visit during the beer festival found a good number of the ales available and the quality of both sampled were top-notch, served by a friendly girl behind a fully-staffed bar (remember, this is JDW we're talking about!). The beer is a bit more expensive than the average JDW but still a darn sight cheaper than 95% of the nearby competition. Mainly a professional clientèle in the evenings (legal types) plus students from the nearby LSE and a handful of tourists. One of life’s better Spoons and I’d be happy to pop back.