The Hand & Shears

The Hand & Shears pub, City of London
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Venue : The Hand & Shears, 1 Middle Street, Cloth Fair, London, EC1A 7JA
Reviewed : October 2008 Telephone : 020 7600 0257
Brewery : -
Pub Website : -
Facilities : Food (sausage & mash or all day breakfast for a fiver)

The Hand & Shears is a remarkable example of an early nineteenth century ale house, recognized by CAMRA and is one of only three within the City of London listed within their 'National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors'.  Virtually unchanged from Victorian times this pub would have been typical for thousands within London.  The central bar servers three distinct bars areas and a small snug at the front, which can hold around eight.  There is a upstairs function room and a real fire downstairs for the winter nights.

Sarah who works behind the bar sometimes gets her letters mixed up when doing the food board, much to the amusment of the locals, treacle tart became tickle tart.

On our visit there was Courage Best & Directors, Adnams, and Wadworth 6X, both the Adnams and 6X were in very good condition.

Middle Street got it's name from when Sir Richard Rich's family built houses here in the seventeenth century between two older streets, East Passage and Newbury Street.


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