Wenlock Arms, London

Local listing:- This small late-Georgian public house was built in 1835. It opened as a public house in 1836. Standing beside the tow path of the Regent's Canal the early history of the pub is associated with the users of the canal and the nearby Wenlock Basin. It initially served as the brewery tap to Messrs Lane and Bowden's nearby Wenlock Brewery, a function it continued until production stopped in 1962. After a period of closure, the pub reopened under its present ownership in 1994, since which time it has acquired a reputation as one of London's leading 'real ale' houses. The Wenlock Arms is a two-storey corner building of stock brick and stucco. On the ground floor are large plate-glass windows set in moulded arched surrounds with floral decoration in the spandrels, framed by pilasters whose capitals are enriched with tiny bunches of grapes. There are three pairs of two-panel doors, those on the corner now sealed shut. The first-floor windows are segment-headed horned sashes in stucco architraves; on the north elevation a large painted stucco plaque reads 'THE WENLOCK ARMS / WINE AND SPIRIT STORES'. The roof is concealed behind a moulded cornice and parapet. To the east is a single-bay extension, similar in style and materials to the main building probably dating from the late 19th century.