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Detail Pages
26 Furnival Street, Chancery Lane, EC4
EC4
EC4A 1JS
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about 26 Furnival Street
Dating back in some form to 1541, I once visited this Victorian City backstreet pub around 10 years ago and recall something traditional and in line with the reviews below. Well things ain't what they used to be: the ceiling is bedecked with more industrial metal ductwork than the Lloyd's Building, dangling from it is one of those awful all-pervasive tubular steel bar gantries. The bar back is fashioned from distressed wooden planks, possibly purchased from a bankrupt firm of scaffolders. Lighting comes courtesy of yet more hipster filament bulbs, some of which are fitted to wall mounted wire caged bulkhead lamps. They afford a view of the modern bare boarded floor, distressed exposed brickwork, exposed grey cinderblocks and matching grey exposed RSJs holding up the corner entrance. In all, it's a bit like drinking in an unfinished modern office block. Windows are new 'olden style' with the maker's name in etched glass to each pane. Unsurprisingly, furniture is slightly industrial and almost all is tall. There's piped music which played at too loud a volume for comfort.
The bar's website - which gives pitifully little information - indicates that this is quite a foodie establishment, though given that no-one was eating, I assume this indulgence is undertaken upstairs. I think there may also be accommodation which could explain the existence of what looked like a check-in desk with PC terminal. Customers too seemed to be more touristy than one would expect and with kids in tow, so perhaps there are indeed rooms on high.
The barman was cheery enough, presiding over one unused pump and then By The Horns Banjo Syd and Five Points XPA at a reasonable - for the area - £2.40 a half and decent it was too.
I'm glad I experienced this pub in its original form, but this type of place really isn't my bag so I don't envisage a return visit.
On 14th November 2019
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1982 recommendations about 1949 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Castle
Attractive corner pub, housing a traditional City vertical drinking house with limited furniture. Usually very crowded at office going-home time, but on this occasion I thankfully managed to find a bit of shelf space on which to rest my glass. Excellent selection of real ales from five handpumps on the main part of the counter, plus three more slightly hidden away to the side at one end: two from Nethergate (the 'house' Red Car Bitter and Six Nations), two from Milestone (Dark Lord and Black Pearl, £3.95), Galvors Smooth Hoperator, Yorkshire Terrier, Black Country BFG and (of course) London Pride. Worth a stop if in the area.
On 22nd March 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8086 recommendations about 8086 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Castle
Liked this traditional corner Street pub a lot, it definitely ticked all the right boxes. I was surprised to see there were eight ales to choose from, especially for such a small pub, tucked away down a side street. We were also pleased to see they had two beers from the Atomic Brewery, Rugby, which were Atomic Strike and Dark Matter. Liked the 7O's design retro wallpaper. The staff were friendly and chatty.
On 25th February 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Castle
Owned by Red Car,a traditional and very small street corner pub,the interior is little more than a bar with a drinking shelf running underneath most of the windows with seating provided by red topped bar stools.Needless to say ,it gets packed immediately afterwork so pick a less hectic time if you dont want to get some of your pint over your shoes.Having said that, service is very efficient from the charming bar maids.There is an upstairs lounge but this is only open to the public during the week 12 - 3pm ,and is the place where you can eat from the pub grub menu.In the evenings it can be hired for private parties,as can the whole pub at the weekends when it is closed to the public.Bar snacks in the shape of toasties are available in the bar.
So the main draw is the ale from the eight handpumps with a helpful list of whats on,and what coming next from the cellar.The house beer is Red Car Bitter from Nethergate,and the other choices on my visit were London Pride, Growler Hair of the Dog,Nelson's Pieces of Eight,Goffs Jouster,Burton Bridge Tup and Under,Sawbridgeworth Is It Yourself and York Blonde.My crew tried most of these and although the condition was acceptable,the brews themselves were unexceptional .There was a noticeable lack of variety in strenghts (most sub 4%) and styles (mainly boring brown malty beer) and with most pints £3.80 plus we left for pastures new with some disappointment.
Were we unlucky? Looking at what was settling in the cellar ,a brew from the dreaded Warwickshire Beer Company gave the game away.There is a lot of real ale here but little from distinguished brewers and although this may please beer tickers,I prefer to drink quality ale.
Although the barmaids are a definite plus,the shaven headed guv'nor sadly isn't.He patrols the interior when busy in a less than welcoming manner,once behind the bar he seems more intent on joshing with his mates while coldly observing his other customers.I had the feeling of being closely watched ,which contributed to the decision to move on.Not on the list for a revisit.
On 1st February 2014
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Castle
The idea of changing a pub from "normal" style to an Ale House is nothing new, it's been going on for some 40 years now. This is a classic example of the type. I remember it being a comfortable carpeted Ind Coope house, but one which we used to generally overlook for the more basic White Horse, another Ind Coope house at the other end of Norwich Street (long demolished and replaced with a hideous office block). It is now part of a small pub chain called Red Car pubs. The tiny interior is wooden floored with fairly minimal furnishings and a bank of 8 handpumps stand proudly in the centre of the bar. Two are taken up by the house beer Red Car Bitter (brewed by Nethergate) and London Pride. The other six were from breweries of which only two I had come across before. They were Milestone Wicked Witch, Long Man Sussex Pride, Sonnet Brown, Raw JR Best, Empire Robohop and one called Roscoe IPA that I can't trace. I went for the Sonnet Brown (£3.85) which was in excellent nick. There is an upstairs room that I didn't investigate. I would expect the House beer to be slightly cheaper but didn't ask. I was the only punter on my pre-midday visit, but would imagine it gets busy later on. Hot meals are served from 12:00 to 15:00 but snacks are available at other times. I liked this little place and was well impressed by the ale selection. If I still worked around the corner as I did thirty years ago I would be more than happy to regularily frequent it.
On 10th November 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about The Castle
This is a great little pub.Manager and his staff are friendly. Good selection of beers but the condition seems to be affected sometimes as they shut at the weekend which cannot help the beers.Same company own the New Wheatsheaf at the Borough.
On 16th February 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Castle
This is a good solid boozer,non pretentious, what you see is what you get,what you get is a choice of eight or so ales mostly interesting selections,the only predictable beer in sight was London Pride,(well some people like it),My selections were Whitehorse Hi Ho Silver followed by Classy Blonde by Clare Brewing Company,both very acceptable.Witty Manager and chatty barmaids made for a pleasurable visit,not my first but certainly not my last.
On 16th August 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1871 recommendations about 1844 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Blue left this review about The Castle
I think this is an excellent little boozer. The eight hand pumps are always fully populated with an interesting selection of regularly changing ales (two or three of them usually coming from Nethergate). They also regularly have Anchor New York Steam beer on tap. Service is very helpful, and on asking what a beer I haven’t seen before is like, I invariably seem to end up with tasters of several beers they think I might like. Actually purchasing a pint costs £3.50 a time, and I’ve always found them to be in top condition. Buntingford’s October was an interesting one yesterday.
As others have said, the main bar is smallish and sparse, mainly set up for vertical drinking but with some stools and flat surfaces around the edges. The upstairs room is smaller and has little character, principally functioning as a place you would go if you wanted to sit at a table to eat, and has a small bar with limited drinks range. Sandwiches and small meals start at £4.50, and mains from £6.70, generously portioned: last time I ate here I had trouble finishing a burger with cheese and bacon, chips and salad for £7.25.
I’ve not yet had a long session here, but in the right company would be keen to do so.
On 2nd November 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 271 recommendations about 270 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Castle
A simple, single room pub a short walk away from Fleet Street, this place has a fairly standard, traditional interior, which is oddly contrasted by some shocking 70's retro wallpaper. The area in front of the bar is set up for vertical drinking, with just a few stools along partitioned drinking shelves on the front wall. To the right of the bar there is a small area which has some standard seating as well as a nice fireplace. There is another bar upstairs, but I didn't venture up there.
The pub was gearing up for Halloween, so there were plenty of plastic skulls and the like dotted around the place. Two TV's showed muted rolling news coverage whilst music played at what seemed like a low volume, but the noise made by the packed room of punters, all but drowned it out.
The visitor is greeted by eight hand pumps, plus a blackboard on the right hand side of the bar which lists the options. Nethergate Old Chap (£3.30), Derventio Cleopatra, Butcombe Bitter, Red Car Bitter, Young's Ordinary, Mordue All Hallows Ale, Dark Star Oktoberfest and Phipps NBC IPA were all on offer. I tried a pint of the Nethergate and was pleased to find it was a very well kept and tasty beer. I had initially hoped to have a pint of Mordue Geordie Pride, but this had just gone off and was replaced straight away with the Derventio. The bar staff suggested alternatives and offered me a taster, all unprompted, which I thought was very thoughtful customer service.
A nice place to stop off for a pint and with such a wide choice of ale on offer, I could see myself happily spending an evening in here.
On 9th November 2010
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Castle
A small, street corner bar, which appears to have been turned round in recent years under the guidance of the Red Car Pub Company. Eight real ales available on my visit, with a good, varied, selection (Youngs Ordinary and Red Car Bitter looks like regulars, augmented by breweries such as Dark Star, Keltic and Nethergate). A board to the right of the bar shows you all beers available together with a ‘coming soon’ list. The quality of the ale was fine, no complaints.
The interior is pretty sparse and functional – most of the floor space is empty save some high stools by the windows (though there are at least some small partitions), I guess it’s designed for mass standing at lunchtimes and post-work – we are in the City, after all. There’s food (ingredients apparently sourced from Borough Market) along with a quizzer and fire. There’s also a room and small bar upstairs, I’m told. Service was good, though it rather felt like we were being watched, presumably because on this Thursday afternoon it was only us plus two clearly tipsy office workers who looked like they popped out for one at lunch and never returned.
It’s a sound bet for the area, though the lack of creature comforts means that it wouldn’t be worth a long session, or turning up between five and seven in the evening. Note: the pub is closed at weekends.
On 17th October 2010
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5072 recommendations about 5055 pubs]