The Ship and Shovell, London

Posted on 24. May, 2010 by Robert Gale in Pubs

The Ship and Shovell

The Ship and Shovell was established around 1740 but between 1981 and 1996 lay derelict until bought by Hall and Woodhouse who renovated the pub. They also took over the derelict building across the alley and turned it into a smaller pub of the same name. It opened in 1999 and the two pubs are connected by a passage that runs underneath the pavement. It is now the only pub in London that has two frontages that face each other.

The pub is named after Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell (1650-1707), Admiral of the Fleet who lived in nearby May Place.

The Ship and Shovell

The pub is located near Charing Cross Station and the busy Villiers Street but is probably tucked away enough that it doesn’t get as crowded. I’ve only visited early in the day so I’m not sure how busy it gets. I’ve also only visited the northern bar so not sure what the interior of the southern bar is like.

The northern bar has a basic bare boarded public bar to the left with stools and a small TV above a fireplace. The right side is carpeted with etched mirrors.

Beer at the Ship and Shovell

Being owned by Hall & Woodhouse, the beers on offer are the usual Badger beers such as Tangle Foot, Badger and Lemony Cricket. They also sell Hofbräu beers – HB Extra Cold, HB Premium and HB Export – which are brewed by Hall & Woodhouse at the Badger Brewery in Dorset under license from Hofbrauhaus München.

The pub is pleasant enough and probably the best pub in the vicinity but apart from the two frontages, there’s not much that stands out about the pub.

Venue Location

The Ship and Shovell

1-3 Craven Passage

London

WC2N 5PH

Tel: 020 7839 1311

View on Google Street View

Robert Gale (Twitter: @awv)

Beer Taster, Pub Attendee, Photo Taker

Robert Gale likes beer, pubs and beer festivals. He also likes to take photos of beer, pubs and beer festivals. Most weekends of the year you can find him travelling around the UK (and sometimes beyond) photographing and reviewing good quality pubs and beer festivals. He also has a day job in the form of a web developer for Ozum.