The Lamb, Bloomsbury, WC1

This is a lovely, well preserved Victorian pub with a central servery which has two sections of etched glass snob screens along the bar counter. There’s a lot of etched glass at the rear of the pub, where the original partitioning is still evident as well. Some smart leather banquettes line walls on either side of the pub, with a few standard tables and chairs at the front and back. The place was packed when I visited on a Friday evening and sadly, this was reflected in the time it took me to get served by the very casual staff. This is a Young's house, so Ordinary, London Gold and Winter Warmer (£3.30) were available, as well as Courage Directors. Two pumps had turned clips, one of which appeared to have been a guest ale. My pint of Winter Warmer was lovely, but the person next to me at the bar ordered a pint of London Gold and I was shocked to see the barman pick up the slops tray, fill an empty glass from it, and hand the resultant pint over to the unsuspecting punter. This is shocking to see in a pub with a reputation for good beer and the same barman did little to endear himself to me later in the evening, when he was incredibly rude when trying to get past me in the crowd. I'd certainly recommend a visit to this pub, but perhaps when it is a little less crowded. Just make sure you keep an eye on where your beer is coming from.

Randomness Guide to London - Lamb entry

Randomness Guide to London - Lamb entry

This is a traditional Young’s house that I have been using since the early 1970s. It was one of the few places that you could find real ale in those days. Perhaps more importantly, it has probably the best preserved set of original Victorian snob screens that I have seen in London. These are set at around head height, and can be swivelled in order to allow drinkers to maintain at least a degree of anonymity. This caused the Victorians some concern as they thought that those using the snugs – who could well be members of both sexes – would use the snob screens to hide their untoward activities. Whatever were they like, these Victorians? Anyway, The Lamb these days is of course the model of propriety, and thankfully has not been the victim of one of the Young’s makeovers we’ve seen elsewhere. The seating is mainly comfortable green upholstered banquettes, plus normal tables and chairs, and it is carpeted throughout. There are no one armed bandits or the like, and there was no piped music when I was in there in the early afternoon. This a real hidden gem (not that it is very well hidden), that is definitely worth seeking out.