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Submitted on Saturday, 18th May 2019
With picture contributions to 25232 other pubs
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Detail Pages
The Old Bank of England, EC4
EC4
EC4A 2LT
Old Bank Of England
We’re only open til 2pm today, so get them Thirsty Thursday drinks in early! Otherwise we will see you for FRIYAY!
10:27 AM Sep 6th 2018 from Twitter for iPhone
Reviews of The Old Bank of England (Average Rating: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Rex Rattus left this review about The Old Bank of England
I paid my first visit to this magnificent pub since its fairly recent takeover by McMullens. Four handpumps were clipped, but seeing my interest in them the barman immediately told me that McMullen's AK and IPA were "coming soon", leaving only McMullen's Country, and London Pride for some reason. That's not particularly good for a pub of this size. On the plus side, the helpful barman checked the availability with the kitchen of a particular sandwich that Mrs R ordered as it was showing as unavailable on the till. Sandwiches were around £7 or £8 as I recall.
As far as I could tell McMullen's haven't made any changes to it, and I can't imagine why they would want to. This is still one of the more spectacular pubs around, even if it wasn't originally built as a pub.
On 18th March 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2563 recommendations about 2481 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The Old Bank of England
Can't add to the extensive reviews of the interior below. Fuller's seem to have nailed the bank conversion modus operandi and this is well worth a look.
On 25th November 2016
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2657 recommendations about 2600 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Old Bank of England
Built in the 1880's as the Law Court's branch of the Bank of England, this is now a magnificent example of an opulent bank conversion, operating under the Fuller's Ale and Pie House brand. The Grade I listed building was converted into a pub back in 1994 and has retained a lot of features from the building's original guise. The main room is a vast open space with a huge, imposing island servery in the centre. A dark wood counter and high bar back is offset by some lovely etched glass screens and topped off with a large clock. Floor tiling runs around the bar area, with much of the rest of the room carpeted. The ceiling is remarkably high and boasts several huge chandeliers and some beautiful decorations. Huge windows run along the front wall, each with elaborate drapes at their sides. There is plenty of dark wood and marble throughout, including a number of pillars, and the end wall is dominated by some huge murals with a large clock set dramatically above. Seating is plentiful and includes plenty of comfy banquettes and a lot of standard tables and chairs that are ideal if you are hoping to eat here. To the rear there are some additional rooms, denoted as 'Dining Room' and 'Club Room', but both were being closed when I arrived late one Friday night, so I couldn't explore. I presume these would have previously been the bank's offices. The pub has a mezzanine area which allows you to appreciate the finery from a different perspective, although it seemed to be a bit smaller than those in some of Fuller's other bank conversions. A wander around the pub will uncover a lot of interesting items, including a few bits of banking memorabilia and some smaller paintings, all worthy of closer inspection. The pub also has a patio garden, which is most unusual in Central London, although I didn't actually manage to get a look myself.
A typical Fullers ale range was available, with the handpulls dispensing London Pride, ESB, Seafarers and Summer Ale, whilst Oliver's Island had just gone off. My pint of Sumer Ale was okay, if not quite as tasty as I remember it being. The staff were a bit brusque but I suppose they were nearing the end of a busy Friday night shift, so perhaps that's understandable.
I enjoy visiting these converted banks and think they are a good way of opening up interesting buildings to the wider public. This is a fine example and is well worth a look for the décor alone. Whilst it doesn't quite match up to Fuller's best conversions (Old Joint Stock, Counting House) it's still an interesting place to explore and a good place to take visitors for the 'wow-factor'.
On 13th September 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2394 recommendations about 2394 pubs]
View more reviews of The Old Bank of England (15)
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- Official site of The Old Bank of England - www.mcmullens.co.uk
- Randomness Guide to London - Old Bank Of England entry
- Facebook - The Old Bank Of England
- Twitter - Old Bank Of England
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Old Bank of England - whatpub.com
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 13 September 2015 by Pub SignMan
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 13 September 2015 by Pub SignMan
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 13 September 2015 by Pub SignMan
- Car Park : No last updated 13 September 2015 by Pub SignMan
- Darts : No last updated 13 September 2015 by Pub SignMan
- Function Room : Yes last updated 13 September 2015 by Pub SignMan
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 25 November 2016 by hondo .
- Jukebox : No last updated 13 September 2015 by Pub SignMan
- Karaoke : No last updated 13 September 2015 by Pub SignMan
- Live Music : No last updated 16 January 2020 by Tris C
- Micropub : No last updated 13 September 2015 by Pub SignMan
- Pinball : No last updated 13 September 2015 by Pub SignMan
- Pool Table : No last updated 13 September 2015 by Pub SignMan
- Quiz Night : No last updated 16 January 2020 by Tris C
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 25 November 2016 by hondo .
- Real Cider : No last updated 13 September 2015 by Pub SignMan
- WiFi : Yes last updated 25 November 2016 by hondo .
