Hoop & Grapes, Aldgate, EC3

The pub looks very small from the frontage but once inside it opens out towards the left where the bar is, and also extends back a long way. The pub has considerable history, dating in part from 1598, and is supposed to be the only remaining timber framed building in the City, having survived The Great Fire by 50 yards, although I am aware of another pub that makes the same claim. Some of the old timber beams and posts are still visible but I suspect the building has been extensively remodelled and extended over the years. There are tales of underground tunnels and passages leading to The Tower and the river, and the route downstairs to the toilets allows a view of some old brick arches and warrens. The pub was originally The Castle, becoming The Hoop and Grapes in 1920 after a spell as The Hop and Grapes, denoting an ale house also licensed to sell wine. Nowadays the interior, although effectively one space, is sub-divided by dark wood and glass screens which together with the subdued lighting lend an intimate feel to certain areas. There is a mix of seating, plenty being traditional but also a fair number of high tables and also a few sofas. Part wood, part stone flagged floors. Various old photos of the area, I noticed one of Aldgate East Underground station from 1916, with part of the old Trumans Brewery showing to the right. I was a little disappointed by the rather mainstream ale selection, I usually expect to find something a bit different in a Nicholsons pub. Four pumps were serving Tim Taylor's Landlord, Pride, Doom Bar and Hobgoblin. £3.15 for the Landlord. Certainly worthy of a visit, but on this showing more for the history and atmosphere than the ale choice.

The Hoop & Grapes is a Nickolsons house after a 2007 refurbishment which saw the pool table go and historical adjustment to the furnishings which put the traditional decor back in. As Roger mentions below, parts of the pub building pre-date the Great Fire of 1666, which missed Aldgate by a whisker, but you would be hard pushed to know which bits. Nickolson’s have done a great job with the decor. The character of the place has been kept, with lots of dark wood and semi glass dividing screens and liberal use of Chesterfield sofas, stained glass, period prints and subdued lighting give this place a bit of real character. The pub layout has not essentially changed from Roger’s review, with the bar area down and to the left as you enter, which gives a good place for vertical drinking. And then the whole right hand side and back is seating, arranged in a series of separated cubicle areas separated by the half glass screens. The beer choice is not as extensive as in other Nickolson houses in the city, but the bar supports four hand pumps and as well as the house TT Landlord and Pride, there was Doombar and Jaipur IPA on during my last visit. The quality is usually high and was again with the Jaipur IPA being very good. A good pub with a bit of character and one of the better pubs a short walk from Aldgate East tube.

Official pages of the Hoop & Grapes, contains menu and cask ale details - www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk

Official pages of the Hoop & Grapes, contains menu and cask ale details - www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk

I had an excellent pint of Jennings Cumberland Ale in here recently. This is not an ale you see very often in London – or I haven’t anyway. Original timberwork frames testify to the historic pedigree of the pub, but the interior still has an up to date feel to it and was a comfortable place for my chums and I to start our days imbibing as a prelude to following Jack The Ripper’s gory trail around East London. Great pub – highly recommended.

A fine old City pub that has improved a lot over the last two or three years. The beer selection is good and the Ringwood Fortyniner was on top form. It’s very popular so can get busy on Thursday and Friday evening and is also popular for food at lunchtimes.

In an area that was virtually levelled by the Lufwaffe and has undergone major redevelopment in subsequent years, it is hard to believe that a pub of this age is still standing amid the concrete. Parts of the pub predate the Great Fire in 1666 and the building is not only listed but protected by English Heritage. Despite the wonky wooden frontage, it is obvious that the interior has undergone various refurbishments, extensions and rebuilds over the years with the bar now set into an alcove off to the left and the rear extended to accommodate pool tables. Despite concessions to the current times like fruit machines and multiple TV's, it does retain its old world character with its abundance of wood and bare floors. Beyond the flag stoned pool area towards the back is a small recess with comfortable settees for those who rear ends cannot take the wooden seating for any length of time. The toilets are in the basement and must be visited, if only to see the mass of exposed old brick arches. A detailed history of the pub can be found on the wall near the front windows. Beers are rather mainstream (Adnams / Pride / Bombardier) but reasonable priced. One final note - the lampshades – is it me or do they look like the spaceships from an Ed Wood movie!