Ye Olde Cock Tavern, Fleet Street, EC4

This pub dates from 1549 but was rebuilt in its current form in 1887; a Courage cockerel to the first floor window is either just a reference to its name or is an indication that this was once indeed a Courage house. This was something of an office regular for me and my friends but I hadn't been in here since 2002, at which time it wasn't a great place. It's certainly now worse as it's a Taylor Walker outlet with all that entails: loud music, multiple sports TVs, sauce bottles on tables, laminated pictorial menus, games machines and as of 29th September, a Christmas tree of all things. The typical TW floor means that it's part flagstone and part carpeted; the pub is arranged over several floors and there used to be a pool table upstairs but we couldn't face hanging around to explore. Ales: 6 on pump including St. Austell's Tribute at a pricey £2.25 and ok. Under current ownership I will not be coming here again.

A lot more tourists in here, than the George further along surprisingly. The interior is long and narrow and goes back quite some way. The rear of the pub is mainly set out for dining, the middle of the pub hosts a good sized bar, with six handpumps. The East London Brewing Co APA Coincatcher was in great shape. The flagstone floor looked to be original, judging from the ware and tear down the years.

There were a couple of Cottage Brewing railway themed beers on here - Golden Arrow and Evening Star - plus Truman's Runner, London Pride, GK IPA, and their own Taylor Walker branded beer called 1730 (£2.28 a half) brewed by Westerham Brewery. Being a Taylor Walker pub the usual glossy pubco pub grub menu was available. This is narrow fronted pub that stretches back a fair way. As you enter there is a stairway on the right leading to an upstairs room; a couple of booths on the right past the stairway; then on the left is the bar counter with some tall tables/tall stools on the right. There are some armchairs and normal tables and chairs at the back of the room, with another staircase leading up to a small mezzanine floor with two or three more tables and chairs. There are the inevitable old prints on the walls; a TV on but muted; and some pop music being played not too loudly. Apparently the original Cock Tavern was on the other side of the road, roughly where the Old Bank of England now stands. In the upstairs room there is a wood carved mantle above the fireplace that was rescued and brought over from the original pub. I have seen it claimed that the carving is the work of Grinling Gibbons, but it doesn't seem of quite good enough standard to me. But what do I know? I reckon that this one is a bit better than most Taylor Walker pubs that I've visited. The bubbly, cheerful and seemingly energetic barmaid made it seem a brighter place. The beer prices are steep, but if you can stand that then it's certainly worth dropping in for a swift one, without being a destination pub.

Not as old as it looks, another Fleet Street rebuild of an earlier pub but possibly with some of the original features relocated from the previous position on the opposite side of the street. The main bar is a long and narrow boarded room with the bar in the middle on a side wall. The furthermost rear part has a small galleried area up a flight of stairs with a snug-like area beneath with bookcase style wallpaper. Otherwise the walls are either wood panelled or exposed brick. The attractive carved bar back has a central mirror bearing the pub name, décor has a few local old pictures but most was covered by a ludicrously overstated display of World Cup flags. The TV at the time was showing test cricket. There was a reasonable selection of ales, Pride, Hackney Brewery Pale Ale, Truman's Lazarus, Taylor Walker 1730 (?), London Fields Hackney Hopster and Cottage "We're Going Home", clearly a self-deprecating beer relating to England's WC performance, a brave if not foolish venture perhaps. I had the Hackney offering, good it was, but with my 10% CAMRA discount at £3.87 this would have racked up at £4.30. I worry that the prevalence of the new "craft" outlets asking silly money for beers may cause a conditioning trickle down effect. Food is served, big pubco menus all around but no one was mid afternoon. An average pub that is rather bland but picked up by on ok beer choice.

An impressive edifice squeezed in between two more imposing buildings that looks 400 years old from the out-side but apparently is a Victorian rebuild, the original pub being sited over the road. It is a Taylor Walker branded outlet with all that brings. The long and narrow interior was atmospherically gloomy with three-quarter length dark wood panelling and exposed brickwork, with tasteful old London prints on walls. An upper floor was quite nicely decorated and is hireable for events. Was impressed to see six fairly interesting ales (W&E Windsor Knot, Red Squirrel Black, two from Hackney, SA Tribute and GK Golden Hen). My half of Hackney IPA was in excellent condition and slipped down a treat, although I was relived of £2.05 for the privilege. There was a cider festival on the go with five boxed choices though there was no indication as to whether there is any usually available. Staff were efficient on my visit, in contrast to comments I’ve read elsewhere though some of tables could have done with a good grease-busting. Bland piped muzak was annoying, why can’t these pubcos show a bit of imagination? Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this one and I’d be happy to drop in again based on this visit.