The Coal Hole, London Pub Review

The Coal Hole, London

Posted on 16. Jun, 2010 by Robert Gale in Pubs

The Coal Hole, London

The Coal Hole is a stunning piece of ‘olde Englishe’ revival built in 1903-4. The age in which it was built is unusual. During the 1880′s and 90′s many pubs were undergoing huge and expensive remodellings but by the turn of the century the London pub market had crashed and very few pubs were being rebuilt. The Coal Hole and the Black Friar were two exceptions.

The Interior

The pub consists of a lofty, beamed L-shaped room whose main decorative theme is the celebration of the grape. Near the ceiling is a deep plaster frieze of grape-gathering women and the rear features a very large decorative terracotta fire surround. Also at the rear of the pub is a mezzanine floor that offers a great view of the pub.

The exterior is equally as grand with a huge ornate sign above the door indicating that it is owned by Nicholsons and is located on the Strand. Just out of view on the top image is a no longer operating street lamp that used to be powered by the gas released from the sewers.

Beer and Food

Being owned by the Nicholsons the beer selection is good with 4 or 5 ales always on. On tap when I visited was Thornbridge Jaipur IPA, Sharp’s Doom Bar, Fuller’s London Pride, Timothy Taylor Landlord and Purity UBU. The beers are reasonably priced at around £2.80 a pint.

As with most Nicholsons pubs it serves a large selection of pies. I haven’t eaten there for a couple of years but the beef and stilton pie I had was pretty decent. Being located on the busy Strand the pub can get busy. There is a downstairs bar but having never been down there, I’m not sure how big or small it is or if it’s always open.

More Photos of The Coal Hole

Venue Location

Coal Hole

91-92 Strand

London

WC2R 0DW

Tel: 020 7379 9883

www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk/thecoalholestrandlondon

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.