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Detail Pages
The Salisbury, WC2
WC2
WC2N 4AP
Pub Type
Taylor Walker (Spirit Pubs)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Salisbury
A fine example of an opulent pub in its day and still today retaining fine grandeur. A Camra listed pub of Historical Interiors, unsurprisingly. I've yet to find this pub quiet, hence its location. The pub has a good jolly atmosphere each time I have visited. The staff are pleasant and service is good. We went for the Amber Brewery Amber Ale, which was a good session beer.
On 14th January 2014
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about The Salisbury
A good sized traditional pub with plenty of original fixtures and fittings. The main bar is mostly one room arranged around an oval bar counter, although there are some divisions to make a small snug at one end.
The flooring is old wooden boards that have been worn down to a smooth finish over the years and there is maroon paintwork on the ceiling. There is some quite ornate etched and frosted glass around, as well as a number of etched mirrors. A wooden porch protrudes in to the pub and this also had etched glass. There were a number of black and white photo’s on the wall that may have been stars of the local theatres. The wood panelled bar apparently has a marbled counter top according to the fairly detailed history of the pub displayed on the wall, although that was not in evidence on the part of the bar that I could see. This was to keep your pint cool in the olden days.
There is red leather bench seating up the left hand side arranged in to small semi-circles, and behind these are some ornate brass lamp stands. The snug at the rear was quite cosy with an old brick fire-place, although this was not in use, green paintwork and more etched mirrors. An interesting collage of musical posters is on the walls as you go to the loo. A large vase of fresh flowers was at one end of the bar, and several jars of different nuts were on sale behind it.
Good choice of beers on tap with Tribute, London Pride, Black Sheep, Deuchars IPA and Timothy Taylor Landlord. The solitary cider was Magners Golden Draught.
On 22nd February 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1950 recommendations about 1863 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
very wellinformed left this review about The Salisbury
I adore the Salisbury, my favourite Theatreland pub, the iconic Victorian glass, the wood panelling and a good selection of ales. Youngs London Gold was excellent as was the Landlord. The other thing i have noticed about this pub is that the staff are all switched on, fast friendly and wanting to serve people, very unusual for the west end.
On 18th July 2012
- rating: 10
[User has posted 30 recommendations about 19 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
BobOs . left this review about The Salisbury
An important Victorian pub. The exterior with its etched and polished glass and carved woodwork to the window frames gives some idea of what to expect inside - an abundance of etched and polished glass which creates a glittering atmosphere. There is an original central island bar, partly with a white marble top, and some particularly elegant art nouveau lamp statues of nymphs. The building dates from 1898 and was named after the Prime Minister of the time. On my most recent visit I was unfortunate enough to be there at the same time as the east European barmaid who was intent on chatting to her mate. After several minutes waiting, and this being early afternoon with me the only other customer, I had to attract her attention by banging on the bar. It also turns out that she is completely unaware of the cute English custom of paying for a full measure of ale and expecting to get said full measure. Similarly, that other cute English custom of 'topping up' appeared to be completely alien to this alien. Despite the shoddy and cavalier service, I still rate the building 8/10 simply for its wonderful interior. Part of my "Victorian Splendour" crawl - see link below.
On 28th September 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 370 recommendations about 355 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Salisbury
There are some excellent reviews of this fine Victorian pub below, so I'll try not to repeat too much of what has already been said. For me, the most striking aspect of this pub is the amazing glasswork, with most of the walls covered with some fantastic etched mirrors. There are also some fine statuettes dotted around as well, most notably near the seating booth areas to the left of the main entrance. There is quite a bit in the way of seating in here, as well as enough open space to allow for vertical drinking at busier times (being in the heart of the West End theatre district, it's almost always busy in here).
The beer choice was Young's London Gold, TT Landlord, St Austell Tribute, Wells Bombardier, Sharp's Doom Bar and possibly one other, but I couldn't see the clip on that pump. I had a pint of London Gold which was well kept and served by a very nice barmaid who was very patient in dealing with a friend who kept changing his order. There were door staff on my Saturday evening visit and inside the atmosphere was warm and vibrant.
This pub is well worth stopping off in just for its interior alone, but I thought the beer and ambience meant that it was more of a complete package than that. There are of course, some very good pubs in this part of town and I feel that the Salisbury can rightly consider itself in that category as well.
On 3rd April 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about The Salisbury
Occupying a prominent street corner position on St Martins Lane in the very heart of London's Theatreland is The Salisbury, one of London's most impressive reminders of the Victorian age of ornate pub interiors.
Inside we find many splendid etched glass mirrors, an original central island bar, partly with a white marble top, and some particularly elegant art nouveau lamp statues of nymphettes with arrows. Note the different entrances indicating that this was a multi roomed pub. Despite the loss of a partition on the right of the main entrance ( note where the white marble bar top ends ), something of the original layout remains in the form of a separate screened snug with an entrance on the side street. Carved mahogany and a fine dark red plasterwork ceiling complete the picture. The pub is listed in CAMRA's book of London Heritage Pubs.
A blackboard inside the pub details its history, although surprisingly, it makes no reference to an earlier name of the pub - The Salisbury Stores - even though some fine window glass bearing the initials SS remain. We learn that the pub has featured in several films and, not surprisingly, is popular with the theatrical crowd. In recognition of this, the walls leading down to the downstairs toilets are covered with theatrical posters.
The pub proudly advertises itself as the "West End's Official Sports Free Pub" and people wearing football colours are not admitted. I have also previously seen male only groups being turned away, although, on my most recent Saturday lunchtime visit, a large group of a dozen or so northerners ( all drinking John Smiths Smooth incidentally and not the real ale !) were allowed in. The absence of TV's in a pub like this is welcomed by many, but, rather incongruously, background music now seems to be played continuously.
I was rather surprised to see that the pub now holds poker nights - "Texas Hold Em" - on Tuesday evening. Even having regard to the current economic climate, I wouldn't have thought that a well known tourist magnet pub like this in a prime Central London location would have any difficulty getting customers through the door without resorting to putting on poker nights.
The enthusiastic and friendly manager of this Spirit Group pub, Jaspal, takes pride in his real ales. Beers on were Bombardier, Young's London Gold, Tribute, TT Landlord, Purity Mad Goose and Golden Sheep. Both the Landlord and the Mad Goose were in good condition. It seems churlish to be critical, but I did notice that all 6 beers were of similar gravity ( between 3.9% and 4.3% ) and this could usefully be reviewed by management.
Taking things as a whole, The Salisbury remains one of my favourite London pubs and you really should try and get there if you haven't already.
On 7th October 2010
- rating: 8
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Salisbury
As is his way, RogerB describes quite nicely the main attributes of this fine Victorian pub. In the doors and windows, and in the bar back, you will see some of the finest surviving examples of the Victorian art of glass cutting and etching. The mirrors in the main bar are more modern reproductions, and it doesn’t take an expert to see that they are of far inferior quality to the originals. Also of note is the initials “SS”cut into the glass in some of the doors and windows at the front – standing for Salisbury Stores, being an older, and perhaps the original, name of this pub. This pub also has some rather nice bronze statuettes of hunting nymphs in the divisions between the seats in the main bar. The original multi room layout of this pub can be seen in the various doors; the original “Saloon Bar” entrance is in St Martins court.
When I was in there this week there were a handful of real ales on. I recall seeing Tribute, Bombardier, Timothy Taylor Landlord, London Gold and Deuchars IPA. They charge West End prices of course – my pint of Tribute was around the £3.30 mark. It’s now a Punch Group pub, so the menu is the usual pub grub, but at fairly reasonable prices for the area. It is certainly worth visiting this pub to see some internal pub decorations that have been produced by the masters of the craft; we have yet to see anyone who can come close to the Victorians in this respect. Other than that, it is a comfortable enough pub in which to spend an hour or two, but it can obviously get crowded.
On 24th February 2010
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about The Salisbury
The Salisbury is one of the most ornate and richly preserved of London's pubs and a fine example of why the late Victorian era is widely regarded as the golden age of pub building. The current building dates from 1898 and was named after the Prime Minister of the time. It stands on the site of a previous tavern called the Ben Gaunts Head and later the Coach & Horses. Historically the pub has had a fairly seedy past when it was originally at the forefront of the bare knuckle boxing scene. In more recent times, serial killer Dennis Nielson used the place to stalk out some of his victims and at the time it had the reputation as a rather seedy gay haunt.
The interior is a palatial collection of Victorian indulgence with a multitude of the finest quality etched glass and mirrors all magnificently brought to life by the tasteful lighting and richly upholstered furnishings beneath a burgundy ceiling. The island bar covers quite a large area and at one end is a small snug bar with a handsome fireplace and fine etched glass screen dividing it from the main bar. A sweeping staircase leads up to a private area whilst a narrow set of stairs plastered with theatre posters leads down to toilets. At the very rear of the pub is a small room with large ornate patterned mirrors. Getting a seat is difficult as it seems to be busy at any time of the day so you may end up on a stool at the front ledge where you can watch the world pass by outside. There are no TV's (it proudly proclaims itself to be a Sports free pub) and the unobtrusive piped music is a bit bland.
Despite being an obvious tourist target, it is easy to forget that apart from its exquisite interior, they do a healthy range of decent quality beers although service can be a bit faceless and the regular short measures need to be addressed. There are usually 3 regular ales (Youngs, Bombardier and Deuchars) and 3 guest ales (Doom Bar, Landlord & Cornish Buccaneer on my most recent visit) although expect West End prices. The pub grup menu is fairly reasonably priced considering the surroundings.
I have always found the Salisbury a little impersonal and tourist driven but as a pub spectacle, it really is must visit pub for anyone in the West End.
On 2nd November 2009
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Salisbury
A superbly preserved interior, with a well polished old horseshoe bar splitting the main area effectively into two spaces. Lots of etched glass in the front windows, interior screens and mirrors. Carpeted with a mixture of seating, including upholstered banquettes/benches. Dark red painted ceiling. There is another small room similar to a snug to the rear of the left side. Stairs lead up somewhere but this was roped off. The walls of the stair down to the toilets are covered in theatre flyers, reflecting the location. A sign in the window states "Sport Free Pub, no TV".
Very busy but well staffed and no issues with the service apart from needing to prompt for a top up. This is a busy area, frequented by tourists and theatre goers, but that should not prevent a visit to this beautifully preserved pub.
6 pumps in two banks of 3, each side, serving at the time Bombardier, Youngs Bitter, Deuchers IPA, TT Landlord, Doom Bar and Brain's St Davids Ale, curiously priced at £3.09.
On 1st March 2009
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1708 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Chris 87 left this review about The Salisbury
Busy this lunchtime with a mixture of visitors and the work crowd. Very reasonable selection of Bombardier, Deuchars, Rockin' Robin, Landlord and Sharps Doom Bar available, although my pint of the latter was fairly ordinary. Decent prices considering the location and a well preserved interior.
On 27th January 2009
- rating: 8
[User has posted 179 recommendations about 179 pubs]