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The White Hart, E1
E1
E1 7RA
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The White Hart
This is a former Taylor Walker pub, as evinced by the gold guncarriage atop the arched sign frame. It also dates from 1721 and given the appearance of the building – not to mention interior layout – I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this is a genuine three-hundred-year-old structure.
As mentioned in previous reviews, this was until recently a traditional dark wood boozer, which presumably like so many other pubs, was subjected to a needless Lockdown hipster makeover. Sadly, there’s not really any evidence of history to the interior. It’s as narrow as it looks and goes back a fair way to a tiny fag patio, but the two-bar format has bar fronts of red wainscoting, with slightly industrial bar backs, then an overall grey colour scheme. There was ugly Six Nations bunting almost a month after the event finished, then little in the way of décor. There were at least two TVs showing the football which no-one was watching and an even uglier Clear Channel advertising board, with its rolling slideshow along with an ugly games machine. Lighting is a little gloomy, with illumination coming from wire caged filament sconces. Furniture is traditional, with some pews and customers seemed very studenty. I’m not sure if the holidays were on, but the place is close to London Met and also at the centre of the area’s entertainment scene.
Ales amounted to two unused pumps, then the uninviting choice of Pride or Doom, me opting for a half of neck oil (£3.20) served by a young, vacant barmaid.
Despite the unsympathetic makeover, this is probably one of the better options in the area.
On 18th April 2022
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1982 recommendations about 1949 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about White Hart
This is a narrow traditional pub on the busy Whitechapel High Street, close to Aldgate East tube station and handy for Brick Lane. The pub has what feels like a two bar layout, although it could equally be argued that there is just the one long, narrow room with an old doorway to pass through midway down. The front part of the pub is a dark wood overload, with floorboards, wall panels and servery combining to create a typical spit and sawdust, traditional boozer look. Seating is surprisingly plentiful in such a cramped space, which is squeezed even more at the point where the servery eventually appears down the left hand side. A ledge runs opposite the bar in the front part of the pub and further on there are a number of small tables and chairs opposite, which contribute to congestion along the bar during busier moments. The room opens out again to the rear where more standard and bench seating has been arranged around the perimeter. There is a nice fireplace on the rear wall with a mural above depicting a Jack the Ripper scene. The pub claims to be the last in which supposed Ripper victim Martha Tabram drank before she was last seen walking up the alleyway to the right of the pub (although other accounts list a pub called ‘The Angel and Crown’ as the site of Tabram’s last drink). A plaque in the alleyway also notes the pub’s connections with the murder and points out that possible Ripper suspect George Chapman had a barbers shop in the pub basement. We were sat enjoying the rugby being shown on the TV screens in both front and back bars, when a number of people appeared dressed in period costume – apparently popular Jack the Ripper tours commence from the pub.
Five handpulls provided a choice from Shepherd Neame Spitfire, Sharps Doom Bar and Fullers London Pride. Greene King IPA had recently gone off and the remaining pump was left unclipped. I tried the Doom Bar which was in decent enough shape, whilst a companion ordered a glass of wine only to be told that they had run out of clean wine glasses. He ended up drinking from a Liefmans beer glass!
This is a pretty decent traditional boozer that still retains a bit of character and seems to have an interesting, if somewhat disputable, history. We found the place quite lively, and despite the variable service and limited beer range, I wouldn’t mind calling in again if I was in the area.
On 13th May 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about White Hart
A proper traditional boozer, with a dark wood interior to the narrow two-part bar. Busy when I visited, with a mixed crowd in after work and efficient staff getting everybody served quickly. Background music and silent sports TVs. I counted nine handpumps on various parts of the counter, with Pride, Seafarers, Doom Bar, Hog's Back TEA and Spitfire (£3.80 available).
On 17th December 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8086 recommendations about 8086 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about White Hart
This is a narrow fronted pub that stretches back a fair way along the alleyway to the side that is Gunthorpe St. It was in a building behind here where the body of Martha Tabram was found, who some consider might have been Jack The Ripper’s first victim. The JTR connection is continued inside the pub, with a large board up on the bar gantry mentioning a couple of the suspects – George Chapman and HRH the Duke of Clarence – although neither are really credible candidates. Anyway, the pub doesn’t seem to have changed since Steve’s visit last year. There are still 15 handpumps on the bar, but on the occasion of my visit there were just the two ales on – London Pride and Spitfire – with a TEA clip reversed. They do Thai food (£5.50 - or £6.50), plus sandwiches and some other standard pub fare at reasonable prices. There are miscellaneous nick nacks on high shelves, and assorted prints and the like on the walls. Where I was sitting there was a manuscript detailing the events of the famous siege in nearby Sydney St.
I believe that this is real pub that doesn’t seem to have any airs and graces, although I don’t find the trading on the very tenuous Jack The Ripper connection a plus point. I’ve been in here before and will probably visit again when I’m in the area.
On 5th March 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about White Hart
The White Hart is a long, thin, wood floored and dark wood décor pub just along from the entrance to Aldgate East tube station. It has a long thin bar which stretches a significant way down one side and there is seating mainly to the front by the windows and then more to the back. The front windows were fully open on this pleasant June evening and this made the front of the pub fairly airy, but it got a bit too dark for me the further you moved into the pub.
Mixed clientele with what looked like seasoned locals occupying the window section and then more office based suits congregating towards the back of the bar.
Although there are several hand pumps in banks of 5 down the bar, only a couple on each bank were actually dispensing beer. There was a couple of pumps serving pride and then a couple more serving Spitfire. But the saving grace was a single pump dispensing Hopback TEA. My pint of TEA wasn’t the best kept I’ve ever had, but it was drinkable.
There is a wide screen TV high up by the entrance and then what looked like a pull down giant screen at the back near the loos. But this pub is so long I can imagine that if you stand half way along the bar you would need the Hubble telescope to see either well. There is an alleyway running alongside the pub which is utilised by the smokers but was once utilised by a certain Jack the Ripper, whose first victim was found behind the pub.
I found the White Hart pleasant enough and would be fine for a pint if you didn’t want to move too far away from the tube station. But I can’t see myself coming back as there are better pubs and better beer options a short walk away.
On 5th June 2010
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2110 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
train man left this review about White Hart
Three banks of 5 pumps but only Spitfire on each section. So, 15 handpumps, 1 beer: to me, that just smacks of laziness probably born on the back of busy weekday lunchtimes. Real shame, as the old wood aesthetic and feel of the place appeals greatly on entry, and the long bar goes far back to the rear of the pub. I really don't know why they open at the weekend, maybe they get some Brick La trade but don't seem to be doing much to encourage it. Off list in future.
On 8th March 2009
- rating: 3
[User has posted 412 recommendations about 411 pubs]