A Samuel Smith pub, with three rooms downstairs and an upstairs eating area. An attractive Victorian interior and exterior including etched glass, mirrors and wood panels. A vaguely equine theme links the old prints. Some tables and chairs on the pavement provide alternative 'fresh air' seating.
Patrons should note that there is a strict "no swearing" policy in Samuel Smith's establishments. Also by decision of the brewery owner, customers may not use mobile phones (except for payments), laptops or similar inside the pub; tablets and iPads are prohibited inside or outside. The brewery's policy is that its pubs are for social conversation face to face.
Historic Interest
Said to date to 1792 when the Sun Fire Office records note a Mr Davidson, victualler, in occupation. It's another of the pubs in the area surrounding the BBC that was frequented by writers and essayists waiting for producers and editors, or to rehearse or broadcast. The pub is also said to have been known as The Whore's Lament, after the despair of certain locals at the departure of American servicemen at the end of World War II. More on the pubs used by BBC staff and others can be found in London Calling: A Countercultural History of London since 1945 by Barry Miles.
Horse & Groom, London
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