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Reviewing milestone with rpadam
on the Pub Forum
Image posted by Blackthorn _
Submitted on Tuesday, 2nd May 2023
With picture contributions to 5857 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (42 more images)
Detail Pages
The Hand & Shears, EC1
EC1
EC1A 7JA
Served areas
Reviews of The Hand & Shears (Average Rating: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Strongers . left this review about The Hand & Shears
The grade I listed Hand & Shears has an entrance with etched glass doors that open into the ‘private bar’ to the left and ‘saloon bar’ to the right, but the pub isn’t large enough to offer any real difference between the two. The central bar serves these two areas plus more seating at the rear, all of which have wood panelled walls and are separated by Victorian wooden screens. Premium keg, including Blue Moon, is available alongside Alpacalypse, and I noted six hand pumps around the counters that were drawing a decent drop of Bass, TT Landlord and Boltmaker as well as Hand & Shears House Ale, whatever that is. This is a characterful pub where you get a sense of the history, so I enjoyed this visit and might pop back in when next in the area.
On 12th May 2026
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6654 recommendations about 6616 pubs]
paulof horsham left this review about The Hand & Shears
You may think that, on a hot summer evening, the pubs in Central London are packed out, with a big crowd out on the street. Venture inside, however, and you'll likely find plenty of seats, as I did in The Hand And Shears. Though it's easy to understand the preference to get away from the even warmer interior.
Anyway, the bar offers up several Guinness taps and at least 3 Landlord pumps. Portobello Westway Pale completed the limited cask offering, with Neck Oil as exciting as the kegs got.
Another one of those "it's alright" kind of pubs which you so often find in Central London.
On 20th August 2025
- rating: 6
[User has posted 643 recommendations about 597 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Hand & Shears
One of Camra's heritage pub interiors, and welcome for that as much as anything. So it's a bonus to find pretty decent Bass on one of the three hand pumps (Hobgoblin and Landlord the others). This was a stonewall NBSS 3.5, but I gave it a 4 as I was on the rebound from a dreadful Sam Smith's OBB nearby. I was the third or fourth person through the door, but they knock off early in the powerhouse of the British economy, and by 4:03pm it was full of successful entrepreneurs and the booze was flowing. It was only two hours since I'd finished my lunch, but I'm just supporting pubs, not the whole economy.
On 7th November 2024
- rating: 7
[User has posted 4764 recommendations about 4362 pubs]
View more reviews of The Hand & Shears (16)
Pubs Galore is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
- Official site of The Hand & Shears - thehandandshears.com
- Randomness Guide to London - Hand And Shears entry
- Facebook - Hand and shears
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Hand & Shears - whatpub.com
- Historic Pub Interiors - pubheritage.camra.org.uk
City Thameslink, 0.39 miles, 7 min walk (show)
Moorgate, 0.63 miles, 12 min walk (show)
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 21 March 2016 by Tris C
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 21 March 2016 by Tris C
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 09 January 2020 by Tris C
- Beer Garden : No last updated 21 March 2016 by Tris C
- Car Park : No last updated 21 March 2016 by Tris C
- Darts : Yes - Upstairs. - last updated 09 January 2020 by Tris C
- Function Room : Yes last updated 03 September 2016 by Tris C
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 27 October 2018 by hondo .
- Jukebox : No last updated 21 March 2016 by Tris C
- Karaoke : No last updated 21 March 2016 by Tris C
- Live Music : No last updated 21 March 2016 by Tris C
- Live TV Sports : No last updated 21 March 2016 by Tris C
- Micropub : No last updated 21 March 2016 by Tris C
- Pinball : No last updated 21 March 2016 by Tris C
- Pool Table : No last updated 21 March 2016 by Tris C
- Quiz Night : No last updated 20 November 2018 by Tris C
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 27 October 2018 by hondo .
- Real Cider : No last updated 22 January 2019 by Pub SignMan
- Wheelchair Access : No last updated 15 April 2016 by Tris C
- WiFi : Yes last updated 15 August 2025 by paulof horsham
