The Prince Arthur, E8

This is a very unusual backstreet pub that seems to have pitched itself somewhere between a smart dining venue and a private members club, without evidently being either. The interior runs in a shallow U-shape around a centrally positioned servery on the back wall. The bar has a very nice curved, dark wood counter and a somewhat boxy shelving unit on the bar back, but with some beautiful lettering retained across the top, presumably from the original bar back, which reads “Importer and bonder of foreign wines and spirits”. Seating around the bar area is almost exclusively in the form of low stools, so not that comfortable, despite the muted lighting and lounge jazz soundtrack helping to create a very laid-back vibe. The front door has heavy drapes behind it, which was useful in keeping the heat in on a cold Winter’s night visit, whilst the walls have been decorated with black and white photos and a load of potted plants add a splash of colour around the room. Beyond the bar, more seating can be found on either side, especially to the right, with a few comfier options available in some slightly brighter spaces. I spotted at least one TV screen, but it remained off throughout my stay, despite an England game taking place at that time, so I’m not sure when it might ever be put into action. Four painted ceramic handpulls on the bar promised much, but are sadly just for decoration seemingly, as all were unclipped. This left a choice from a decent keg range which included three beers from the nearby 40ft Brewery, so I plumped for their Neighbourhood IPA, which came in at a hefty £6.90 and was fairly unmemorable. This place had a really strange vibe and didn’t seem to know exactly what it was trying to be. What we’re left with is a very expensive bar that’s had a fancy makeover, has uncomfortable seating and no cask ale, and yet in spite of all of this, I quite liked the place and was glad I’d stopped by. I can’t see me heading back any time soon, especially not at those prices, but I thought this was quite a unique experience and wouldn’t want to dissuade others from giving it a go.

As mentioned, this place was built in 1861, a rare backstreet survivor in this area which from the early ‘80s until ’97 (for obvious reasons), was known as Lady Diana. The interior is conventional and the Charrington’s banded windows have been retained. Above the bar is an original and lovely cornice which lists the pub’s wares in gilded lettering. The bar itself is quite decent-looking, curvy, field panelled and with scrolls. The floor is quite rough with the walls being chocolate coloured Anaglypta to the dado then plain white to the white Anaglypta ceiling. The rear wall has full-height field panelled dark wood which covers one chimneybreast so must be a more recent addition; another fireplace is rather regal and marble, though probably not used, sitting in a snug of sorts, with a dark button backed banquette and a now redundant door, indicating that it must once have been partitioned off. Furniture comprises conventional tables and chairs with some high stools to the bar. Lighting comes from spherical hanging lamps above the bar and tulip-style sconces; décor comprises prints and the like. In all, it’s relatively traditional and rather pleasant with a soundtrack aimed at the typical trendy Hackney incomers who were few in number: Eels, Supergrass and Dandy Warhols. However, the pub insisted on persisting with plague protocols with QR codes on tables next to the equally no-longer-necessary bottles of sanitiser, which does virtually nothing anyway. Ignoring this twaddle, I walked up to the bar to be approached by the barman who was still wearing a mask, meaning I couldn’t determine his mien and unsurprisingly, I couldn’t understand what he was saying, but it roughly translated as “Feff fir. Foff woof foo fife foo frink?’. I plumped for the Five Points XPA on keg as all four of the rather ornate pulls were unclipped, despite that fact that the pub’s website shows at least one pull in action. Again, due to the self-imposed tyranny of the mask, I couldn’t understand the price quoted but my phone’s screen informed me that it was an extreme £5.70 (a pint of cask FP Best up the road at the FP tap - The Pembury - costs £4.62). It was decent though, once the fizz had dissipated and it had warmed up a bit. This is really quite a nice pub in terms of fabric, but the experience was quite dispiriting given the insistence on probably being unique to the area in retaining plague protocols and the lack of real ale. The Spurstowe up the road also lacks real ale (though at least doesn’t advertise it) but doesn’t impose any conditions, so I’d prefer to drink there if in the vicinity, but that would assume that the Prince George were closed, as it’s the daddy in these environs.

Official site of The Prince Arthur - www.theprincearthure8.com

Official site of The Prince Arthur - www.theprincearthure8.com

The Prince Arthur is set in the back streets between Mare street and Kingsland road. Once inside there is a single U shaped room with the bar facing,the room is bare boarded,there is bench seating and chairs to the front plus a coule of settees to the right and two tall tables to the left. There were two real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Trumans Runner which went down well,the other beer was Sambrooks Junction. I though this was a decent enough pub to have a drink in. Pub visited 11/6/2016

The date of this pub on the parapet - 1861 - makes it a mid-Victorian survivor. There's little else of heritage value, excepting the green-banded (ex-Charrington?) glazing in the windows, and some rather nice higher pieces of an old bar back. I didn't see a menu inside, but there was one on one of the doors, with main course from £10.50 upwards. There were also some specials written on some tiling behind the bar, with Tandoori Wood Pigeon at £8.50 perhaps looking the most unusual, but I wasn't hungry enough to go for that! I saw some meals arrive for other customers - one looked like seared tuna, and another one (not sure what it was) arrived on something that looked like a lump of slate. However, they did have three ales on - Truman's Runner, and a couple from Darkstar in Redhead and Summer Solstice (£2 a half). Seating inside is a mix of banquettes, a couple of sofas, a tall table/tall stools or two, and some normal tables and chairs. There are some benches outside which were very popular on a warm July evening, meaning there was no problem getting a seat inside. This is another backstreet Victorian pub in this area that's moved upmarket to remain as a going concern. If that's what it takes to keep going then good for them; at least it's still here for me stop off to enjoy a beer in.