The Viaduct Tavern, Holborn Viaduct, EC1

Dating from 1874, this pub has a fabulously ornate interior with marvellous polychromatic prints to the walls and even a fine marble-framed Bass mirror on the way to the bogs. There's a booth where the Victorian landlady would sell gin tokens to customers. Some tables have marble tops, thereafter furniture is conventional. Most of the clients seem to be City types with some locals drawn from I don't know where. On the down side, music really was a bit loud and despite the pub not being busy during our late evening mid-week visit, staff couldn't be bothered to clear the multitude of empty glasses from tables. This is a Fuller's pub so expect ales from their stable and subsidiaries: London Pride, Gale's Spring Sprinter and Oliver's Island at £4.30 a pint which for the area, is sadly about the going rate. Unfortunately it was a bit soapy. This was our first visit and I know from experience on passing that it's rammed during early evening and is closed at weekends. I might come again but I wouldn't make a special trip to get here.

This is a beautiful Victorian street corner pub with an impressive curved façade, just a short walk from St Paul's tube station. Dating back to 1874, the pub has retained plenty of interesting features, many of which date back to a remodelling at the turn of the 20th century. Entering from the Newgate Street side, you pass through a mosaic tiled floor doorway bearing the pub's name, emerging into the spacious main bar with a roughly U shaped layout. The low dark wood servery takes pride of place in the centre of the room and has an unusually small bar back, partly the result of the current layout and partly because there is an unusual glazed office beyond the bar which, according to CAMRA, is one of only thirteen such publican's offices still in existence. There is a good deal of red padded banquette seating under the front windows broken up by short stretches of partitioning screen, as well as a few high padded stools with back rests to one side and low stools in the rear corner. The room is bare boarded throughout and has a high, relief panelled ceiling which looks very attractive. Perhaps the most prominent feature can be found on the right hand wall, where three huge mirrors set in a marble surround, depict ladies representing industry, agriculture and commerce. In the rear right corner there is a dark wood panelled space with some excellent etched glasswork including a fine overhanging arch. There is also a fresco running around the length of the room, depicting a head with a wreath on it. A door to the left of the bar leads to a staircase which is lined with a glazed tile fresco, a large Burton Brewery mirror and a gin bottle collection. In fact, gin is promoted quite heavily throughout, with a 'Gin Palace' menu offering countless varieties. A loud R&B soundtrack played on my late Friday evening visit, which seemed a bit out of place, but I guess there weren't enough customers in for anyone to care. One unusual feature I didn't get to experience was the debtor's prison cells which are apparently still accessible upon request in the pub's cellars. This is a Fullers house and on the bar there was London Pride, Chiswick and Butcombe Rare Breed (£4.10), with Spring Sprinter having just gone off. The Rare Breed was a pretty good pint and I was served by a very friendly and overworked barmaid. This place is a real gem and a must visit for anyone interested in well preserved Victorian pubs, although the laid back feel and spacious interior make it a good option for the casual pub goer as well. I really enjoyed my time here and had to cut a few pubs out of my crawl as a result of lingering too long. I'm sure I'll be back soon.