Ye Olde

Posted on 2012/04/07 12:41:53 (April 2012).

[Thursday 5th April 2012]
Decided to leave the office "early" today - i.e. just before 6, and went with a few chaps for a bit of an exploration of the pubs around Fleet Street, starting off at the Black Friar. This sort of thing is much more convenient now that Blackfriars tube has finally reopened. We also fit in a stint at the Whisky Society, and a burrito at Chilango's.

Having recently read the CAMRA book on Historic London pub interiors I now look at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese in a new light. I have to admit previously it wasn't really one of my favourites - it always seemed touristy and overcrowded, and a lot of bits of it have been added on at later dates and aren't particularly ye olde. However, from reading the book, the somewhat disappointing revelation is that there are almost no surviving pre-Victorian pub interiors in London. Pretty much everything that looks like it might be older than Victorian is likely a deliberate attempt in the the Victorian era (or often even more recently) to recreate that olde worlde feel. The two possible exceptions to this are also two of the most well known and touristy pubs in the city - The George Inn and Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. Whilst in both cases it's hard to say for sure when the interior dates to, it seems plausible at least some parts of them may even be original.

So I was determined we should elbow our way into the tiny original bar of Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, wherein you have the best chance of being surrounded by at least some bits of late 17th Century woodwork.

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