London Pubs Group

Campaign for Real Ale

Campaign for Real Ale

Breweries and Markets Past and Present: Evening Crawl of Shoreditch, Bethnal Green and Spitalfields


Wednesday 9 December 2009.

All welcome to join the crawl, whether a CAMRA member or not.

A text version of the crawl notes is here: Evening Crawl of Shoreditch, Bethnal Green and Spitalfields

1. Princess of Shoreditch

Arrive: 7.00 PM

Address: The Princess of Shoreditch, 76-8 Paul Street, Shoreditch, EC2A 4NE

Real ales: Meantime Pale Ale, Sambrook’s Wandle and Tring Side Pocket for a Toad are usually available here.

Read about the Princess of Shoreditch

Directions to next pub: Leave the pub by the Willow Street exit, turn left and walk down Willow Street to the junction with Leonard Street. Cross over Willow Street and Leonard Street to

2. Griffin

Arrive: 7.45 PM.

Address: The Griffin, 93 Leonard Street, Shoreditch, EC2

Real ales: Fuller’s London Pride and a guest beer are usually served here.

Read about the Griffin

Directions to next pub: Turn left out of the pub and continue along Leonard Street to the junction with Great Eastern Street. Cross over Great Eastern Street to Curtain Road and walk up Curtain Road to the junction with Old Street. Turn right and walk along Old Street to the junction with Kingsland Road and Hackney Road. Cross over the junction to Hackney Road and walk along Hackney Road to the pedestrian crossing. Up on your left is a pub called Ye Olde Axe, 69 Hackney Road, a striptease pub charging £4 entry and serving Courage Best. You are welcome to visit it if you don’t mind paying the entry charge. The pub has an imposing 19th-century exterior and inside it boasts a fine ceiling, friezes and a barrel-vaulted possible former corridor down one side. Cross over Hackney Road to Columbia Road and walk along Columbia Road, noting the site of the former Columbia Market, the only remnants of which are the railings and the gate piers topped by heraldic beasts. Continue along Columbia Road to

3. Royal Oak

Arrive: 8.45 PM.

Address: The Royal Oak, 73 Columbia Road, Bethnal Green, E2.

Real ales: Meantime London Pale Ale and Timothy Taylor Landlord are usually available here.

Read about the Royal Oak

Directions to next pub: Turn left out of the pub, cross over Columbia Road and continue along Columbia Road to the junction with Barnet Grove. Turn right into Barnet Grove and walk all the way along it to Bethnal Green Road. Cross over Bethnal Green Road and walk all the way down St Matthew’s Row to

4. Carpenter's Arms

Arrive: 9.30 PM.

Address: The Carpenters Arms, 73 Cheshire Street, Bethnal Green, E2.

Real ales: Timothy Taylor Landlord and a guest beer are usually served here.

Read about the Carpenters Arms

Directions to next pub: On leaving the pub, cross over Cheshire Street, turn right and walk along Cheshire Street to the junction with Brick Lane. Turn left into Brick Lane and walk along it, noting the former Trumans Brewery on the way. Cross over Brick Lane and continue along it to the junction with Hanbury Street. Turn right into Hanbury Street and walk along it to just before the junction with Commercial Street. Cross over Hanbury Street to

5. Golden Heart

Arrive: 10.15 PM.

Address: The Golden Heart, 110 Commercial Street, Spitalfields, E1.

Real ales: Adnams Bitter and Broadside are available here.

Read about the Golden Heart

Although not on the official itinerary, after this pub you may wish to visit the nearby Ten Bells, 84 Commercial Street, which is also on the Regional Inventory.

6. Ten Bells

Address: The Ten Bells, 84 Commercial Street, Spitalfields, E1.

Read about the Ten bells

The Regional and National Inventory descriptions in these notes are extracts from a book published in July 2008 by CAMRA called London Heritage Pubs: An Inside Story. Historic Pub Interiors in the Capital by Geoff Brandwood and Jane Jephcote. The book has descriptions and photographs of all 156 pubs that were on the London Regional Inventory at the time.