Hide in the Ship and Shovell

A rarity amongst pubs because it has an alleyway through the middle of it, the Ship and Shovell, near Charing Cross Station, is run by the Hall and Woodhouse brewery and, we are told, draws its name either from a nearby Coal Hole, or from Sir Cloudesley Shovell, who is pictured on the sign.


Your author popped in on Saturday night for a swift half with friends tucked away in the tiny snug off the smaller, south-eastern, side of the pub. It was pleasantly quiet, and lacked the strong bleach smell of the main part of the pub, as well as benefiting from a tiny bar of its own, various nooks and crannies to hide away in, and even an upstairs 'Crow's Nest', which is available to hire.

Probably established in Victorian times, the Badger ales on sale are drawn up from a linked cellar, through which drinks unavailable at the smaller bar have apparently been known to be passed by dumb waiter for discerning customers.

A nice pub, then, but best avoided on Thursday and Friday nights when it has been known to be over-run by after-work drinkers, steeling themselves for the commute from Charing Cross. For more, see here.

_{^Picture © Jitze Couperus used under Creative Commons^}