The Bishops Finger, Smithfield, EC1

Randomness Guide to London - Bishops Finger entry

Randomness Guide to London - Bishops Finger entry

This pub used to be called The Rutland Arms before Shepherd Neame acquired it, along with the nearby Olde Red Cow, some thirty or so years ago. They renamed it The Bishops Finger after their strong ale, which in turn was named after an old type of road sign usually found on the route to Canterbury. This is a late Victorian pub, but as far as I could tell the only thing definitely remaining from that era is the pair of cast iron pillars in the middle of the room, although the ceiling decoration may be an original Lincrusta style design. The place is bare-boarded, has high stools and high tables in a row down the middle of the room, with banquettes, tables and chairs round the sides. Every inch of the walls is covered by prints, and although it has been extensively modernised over the years, you could certainly not accuse this pub of being minimalist in decor. The laptop area (actually a small ledge) was not in use as such during my visit, but the soft padded framed mirror on the wall above the ledge is still in place, presumably as an elf ‘n safety measure to protect the heads of frustrated computer users. I found it to be fairly gloomy inside this pub, not helped by the awning to shelter those using the handful of aluminium tables and chairs in the front of the pub. It’s still a Shepherd Neame pub, so the usual ales are on offer. I had a reasonable drop of Masterbrew, at £3.10 a pint. I didn’t eat there, but I noticed that mains were at or around the £7.95 mark, and sarnies around £4 - £6. This is another OK pub – there’s nothing special about it, but it is immaculately turned out, and OK for a pint if you’re happy with SN ales.