The Jamaica Wine House, Bank, EC3

Located down a narrow alleyway off of Cornhill, this is an interesting, historic building which is supposedly on the site of one of London's oldest coffee houses. The interior is a little unusual, comprising of four inter-linked sections of roughly equal size, divided by dark wood partitioning walls in such a way that you would need to cover pretty much the entire floor plan of the ground floor if you wanted to walk from the left hand section to the right. The ceiling is worth a look as well, with parts of it covered in glass tiles, which creates a rather pleasant effect. Seating is provided in various forms throughout the four sections, with one having mainly high stools and drinking shelves and others given over to more formal table and chair arrangements. The decor was a little limited and the place is overwhelmed a bit by the dark wood of the walls, floor and furniture, but there were a few bits of interesting brewerania above the bar counter that caught the eye. The pub is now run by Shepherd Neame and there was Spitfire, Bishop's Finger (£3.70) and Master Brew to choose from at the bar. My Bishop's Finger was okay, but despite there being six members of staff behind the bar and no-one else waiting to be served, I still endured a long wait before an admittedly apologetic barman got round to dealing with me. It was surprisingly quiet when I popped in on a Friday evening, although it did fill up a bit just before I left. There is a restaurant downstairs which I didn't explore, so maybe there were more people down there, or maybe the hidden location means that people simply don't know the pub exists. This was a nice place to stop for a beer and although their ales aren't really to my taste, I can imagine popping back here again for another nose around this interesting, and somewhat out of place, little building.

This pub, reputed to be London’s oldest surviving coffee house, lies in an alleyway off Cornhill Street, next to St Michaels Church. Taken over by Shepherd Neame in 2009, which seems to have lead to a massive upturn in standards, if older reviews are to be believed. The exterior, made of red sandstone, is quite striking as none of the surrounding buildings are made of the material. The interior is quite a sight, dark mahogany panelling, wooden flooring and some intricate tile work on the ceiling. It’s divided up into four areas by large mahogany partitions and is best described by another review as a “rambling warren of a pub”. The effect of the dark wood is enhanced by the lack of natural light due to its location in a narrow set on lanes adjacent to massive neighbouring tower blocks and a deliberate policy of subdued lighting. Four Shepherd Neame ales are available, spread over seven pumps - (Bishops Finger, Master Brew, Late Red and Spitfire). My Late Red was quite acceptable, though very highly priced at £3.75, which left a somewhat bitter taste. Clientèle are City Suits, and mainly friendly – indeed we were offered a prime table by a departing Suit having just quaffed a liquid lunch. Seating is limited to small wooden tables and pews. There was a TV showing cricket at the rear, whilst a small servery was knocking out sandwiches. Despite the prices, I enjoyed this place a lot and it’s well-worthwhile making the effort to seek out.

Randomness Guide to London - Jamaica Wine House entry

Randomness Guide to London - Jamaica Wine House entry

Formerly a coffee house built on the site of the original London coffee house, but renamed as the Wine House in the 1800's. An unusual building built of a kind of red sandstone, one reference I have describes it as Mansfield stone. The external suspended signs are worthy of note. Inside the bar is on an end wall continuous through four areas divided by dark wood partitions. The ornate ceiling is rather different, a section of it being of decorative glass tiles. All the dark wood and the partitioned layout make for a rather gloomy interior, not helped by the location at a junction of narrow lanes preventing much natural light. The front room however has some seating at a ledge in front of the large arched windows. Otherwise seating is at benches and stools. Behind the bar on a top shelf is a collection of jugs, pots, pewter plates and so on. Shepherd Neame beers, a few on, but I have to record that my pint of Early Bird was not in the greatest condition, nor cheap at £3.45. There is a fairly routine food menu with mains between £7-£9 and sandwiches around the £5-£6 mark.

Official page of the Jamaica Wine House at the Shepherd Neame site - www.shepherdneame.co.uk

Official page of the Jamaica Wine House at the Shepherd Neame site - www.shepherdneame.co.uk

This seems to me to be the same rambling warren of a pub that it was on my previous visit a few years ago. It’s now a Shepherd Neame house with the usual range on offer, except that I did not spot any Kent’s Best, although it might have been lurking in one of the other bars avoiding my notice. Anyway, I had the Late Red which was rather good and I think the best that SN have on offer at this time of the year. But it was at the City normal price of £3.40 a pint. There are several interconnected room, with seating comprising mainly of hard wooden stools at the bars and ledges, with a few tables and chairs. It features in CAMRA’s “Inside Story” book about London pubs with historic interiors worthy of preservation, so expect to see lots of ancient dark mahogany panelling, and some tilework on the ceiling in the middle bar. It’s a City pub, with the clientele that you would expect in such a place, but it’s easily one of the better ones and was not overly crowded during my visit at 1.45 PM on a midweek lunchtime. I got served by a friendly young lady who seemed to be enjoying her job. As I quite enjoy drinking in these old pubs, and enjoy drinking SN ales, I expect I shall drop in for another pint some time.