For the area, the narrow cheese-wedge shaped pub is a real gem, despite the hoards of city boys who populate the outside area at this time of year. Whilst it has the air of a much-frequented city pub, and the ales inside aren't particularly well kept, it does have a sense of personality which makes it deeply lovable.
Its interior, which is true to the monastic theme, is excellent, and your author understands that its preservation is largely due to the 1960s intervention of Sir John Betjeman, who led a campaign to save the Black Friar from demolition, and is proof if it were needed that the cult of personality is a good thing.
For more, and some of the above, on the Black Friar, see www.pubs.com
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Oh I love this pub.
ReplyDeleteI am always grateful that this little wedge of gloriously OTT architecture and Art Nouveau interior design embellishment has been saved for us by the National Trust; it stands there defiant as everything else around it gets gradually demolished and rebuilt.
It's almost impossible to walk past without stopping to look at it or popping in for a pint.
More photographic details of the exterior here http://www.flickr.com/photos/janepbr/tags/blackfriar/