The Counting House, Bank, EC3

Fuller's pub in a grand building that was once a bank. You enter into a large ceilinged room with a central island bar and some nice mosaic floor tiling on the right-hand side. Apart from the main room, there are also a couple of smaller rooms to the rear which apparently were bank managers' offices. On the bar, there is a good selection of cask ales from the Fuller's range - Fuller's London Pride, ESB & Oliver's Island & Gale's Seafarers are regular beers. Guests during our visit were Fuller's Old Winter Ale, Fuller's/Five Points Cobbled Lane & Dark Star Hophead. Keg beers of significance were Brick Peckham Pale, Siren Lumina & Beavertown Neck Oil. There were also some Fuller's Black Cab pumps, but they had sold out of this and could only offer cans of Guinness 0.0 or bottles of the Black Cab. We saw some stout drinkers walk out in disgust! Although, the dispense of the cans of Guinness from a rather funky machine on the bar did entertain us briefly. With its Cornhill location, you can expect this place to be busy during the week and indeed it was standing room only on our early Friday evening visit. Prices are on the higher side too, but it does get a listing in the Good Beer Guide. I would say that this pub is worthy of a visit, for its architectural merits as well as for any fans of Fuller's beers, of which you will find the full range and more.

Which came first - this or Birmingham's Old Joint Stock. Both cavernous bank conversations, Fullers houses, with opulent domed ceilings. Check out the 1762 Cornhill mosiac on the floor, when you are tired of looking up. Loads of bench seating and tv screens with the Euros on. Not going to mind, my predication of France's first match has won me the easiest free pint of Ashai I have ever had. Got two weeks to find another Fullers house. I'm back in the Midlands, so may be the Old Joint Stock :-) Impressive place to drink.

There’s an excellent description on CAMRA’s websites and some of the wood does look good if not all original, likewise the alabaster wall cladding and sizeable acreage of mosaic floor, viewable on Fuller’s website, with a naff mural and salmon pink coffered ceiling (see photo) and gallery, closing at 9.00pm and accessible only to diners. However, the pub has deafening acoustics; even when only around 20% full, my smartwatch’s dB 100 alarm frequently chirped into life. At least on this occasion – earlier in the week – it was easier to get to the bar, with favourable cask options in the form of Dark Star’s Red Dwarf and Hophead on good form, but with awful pricing, a pint and pint of Asahi coming home at a barely believable £14.45; a second round comprising halves of the above, plus Neck Oil relieving me of £11.25. This may be a must-visit pub, but it’s not a place to linger, which is why I stand by my previous grade, given that we are all entitled to apply our own criteria.

A fantastic conversion from which was latterly a Nat West, but had previously been Prescotts bank (I think). Wonderfully ornate, you spend your first five minutes just looking upwards! Always visit when I do my regular "get off at Bank" pub crawl. Usually busy, but the service is good. Often stocks the whole Fullers range including the seasonals and I've never had a poor pint in here. If you're in the area, you have to visit.