Lord Clyde, London

In what must be the shortest street in London, the delightful Lord Clyde pub was rebuilt in 1913 and has a marvellous exterior with lots of ceramic work. Pride of place goes to a majestic eagle, the emblem of East End brewers, Truman, Hanbury and Buxton, while the fascia over the corner entrance bears the name ‘E J Bayling’ who must have been the owner and/or licensee on the eve of the Great War. Even the window surrounds are highly decorative. Inside, there are two rooms but originally a partition separated the public bar into two. The public bar (front) has a tapering, match-boarded counter and partly panelled walls. Note the fine mirror advertising ‘Mild Ales and Double Stout’. The back bar has a hatch to the servery and more wall panelling. A framed Truman’s price list tells us the prices of beer back in 1961. The fittings and detailing have a restraint and simplicity which forms a marked contrast to the ornateness of pubs from a decade or so before and gives a hint of what would come after the First World War. The changes are minimal with some modern work on the fireplaces, fridges replacing half of the lower bar back shelving and modernised toilets.