The Blackfriar
The Blackfriar
The Blackfriar, 174 Queen Victoria St. EC4V 4EG
  Telephone : 020 7239 5474
Reviewed : December 2012
Chain : Nicholson's
Facilities : Outside area

An exception pub at the junction of New Bridge Street and Queen Victoria Street, close to Fleet St. Just looking at the outside you know what you're going to get on the inside and there are no disappointments here. The pub was built around 1875, the ground floor interior remodeled by the architect H. Fuller Clark and Henry Poole around 1904. The Saloon Bar (the sign about the entrance has this engraved) leads you the finest example of turn-of-the-century Art Nouveau design in the City of London. You will find multi-coloured marble, mosaics, bronze reliefs of jolly-looking monks, and decorative touches such as the elaborate fire-basket with goblin ends.

The building stands on the site of the original Blackfriars monastery which existed between 1279 and 1539. The exterior was sculpted by Henry Poole and some fragments of monastery wall are still there today (no idea, sorry! But let me know if you find some).

As with all City pubs, especially the Blackfriar it will be packed with City workers lunchtime and then evenings from 5pm onwards. A visit early in the week or around 3pm in the afternoon would give you a good chance to explore and enjoy the interior.


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