London pubs: Anchor Tap, & Horniman at Hay's

Location: Anchor Tap pub, London

From an unassuming exterior down a side street near to Tower Bridge, this public house retains much of the character of its age. While finding details on its past is sketchy, the pub was run by the Courage Brewery from 1787, when the Anchor Brewery closed down, to 1981 where it has since been run by the Samuel Smith's Brewery company.

Through the front door, one is greeted by a venue from a time long before, with a dark murky feel from the cream and brown patterned walls, and lots of dark wood panelling. The furniture itself is mostly of a dark wood, blending around the sides of each room of this deceptively expansive place.

Past the first bar area, to the right is a larger room, with more furniture for drinking on, stools and chairs surround the front sides of a variety of circular or rectangular tables, with the walls lined with cushioned benches. Even a piano offers itself as a surface, with a line of stools along its front, and a smouldering fireplace in the corner.

The walls of the room are covered in a wide array of black and white photos, hinting at the long history of the place, showing scenes of the street outside, and of the Thames river, elaborating on the history that London has as a once major port for sea trade.

Moving on, the games room is smaller by comparison, with more of a murky dark appearance despite the increased light from a large window, containing some furniture and a couple of games machines on one side.

In keeping with this theme is a back room of similar size but more square in shape, lighter décor and lighting is used in this room to provide the required lighting over the central pool table, while benches line the sides for onlookers.

Last on the downstairs is the lounge room, where the décor is lighter in colour than the rest, with more comfortable seating around low tables, the armchairs covered in patterned cushioning.

Going upstairs, one is greeted with the dining area, which consists of three rooms, the smallest of which is separate from the other two, while the largest contains the upstairs bar in one corner. The rooms are outfitted with laid out dining tables and comfortable seating, fully-cushioned benches and armchairs, their patterns introducing a pleasant shade of green to the surrounding colours.

An extremely pleasant pub overall, though very quiet on a Sunday, with a good amount of room for a backstreet venue. It offers a certain solitude away from the bustling crowds of Central London, and nearby, a short stroll to the Thames path for a walk along the Thames bank.

Images by the author, and BeerintheEvening.

Location: Horniman at Hay's, London

A good sized pub just off the side of Hay's Galleria, which is a very tall arcade with a good twist of Victorian décor, and even a steampunk statue in the center. The entrance itself simply takes the visitor right in to the thick of the atmosphere where the brightly lit bar area greets one, and a rich assortment of colours and styles create a seemingly decadent feel to it. One does indeed feel like they have stepped in to what a gentleman's club would have appeared in Victorian times.

There are cream coloured walls, dotted with gold framed hangings, gold-coloured trimmings and theatre-like decorations for the ceiling. Several chandeliers hang down over the bar area, highlighting the colour of the wood much more brightly, while moving further in, one will find that it is more dimly lit, there the staircase leads one up to the mezzanine dining area.

Walnut-coloured wood panels, railings and shelving behind the bar makes a change from the usual dark wood, while murals line the walls above the bar, and along the outer edge of the mezzanine, depicting scenes of Britain's seafaring and colonial history in exotic locations.

The bar contains the usual set of lagers that many other pubs have, along with a few common ales found in London. However it does also contain some guest ales and Belgian beers.

The locale is warm inside, and evidently it is frequently busy, even during Sundays. Recommended as a place to relax with company, and to try whatever ales there are available.

All pictures done by the author.