Crown and Sugarloaf, London

Posted on 09. Dec, 2010 by Robert Gale in Pubs

Crown and Sugarloaf, London

The Crown and Sugarloaf is a tiny Samuel Smith owned pub located just off Fleet Street in the City of London.

Brief History

The pub in its current guise only dates back to 2004 but it has a rather interesting history. The pub used to be much larger and was owned by both Samuel Smith and Bass. Bass had two thirds of the pub whilst Samuel Smiths had a third. An odd arrangement meant to access their cellar, Bass had to roll their barrels through a corridor owned by their competitor.

Eventually in 1997, a new cellar was built for Bass and a wall was erected between the two parts of the pub. Bass reopened their part of the pub (the Punch Tavern around the corner on Fleet Street) and it wasn’t until 2004 when Samuel Smith’s finished their renovation and opened their much smaller pub.

For a more detailed history, head over to Andrew Bowden’s blog.

The Interior

The interior of the pub consists of a relatively small room that is elegantly decorated with wood, etched mirrors and a mosaic floor. According to Andrew Bowden, much of the interior uses materials reclaimed from the split of the pub although the bar is original.

Personally, I prefer the interior of the Crown to the Punch Tavern. The Punch does have an impressively decorated entrance corridor but the Crown does a better job of recreating a classic Victorian pub.

The Beer

As the pub is owned by Samuel Smith, you can expect Old Brewery Bitter on cask, their own lagers and bottles such as Oatmeal Stout and Taddy Porter. Even if you are not a fan of their beers, you need to pay it a visit just to see the interior.

Other Pubs in the Area

There are some excellent pubs just a short walk from the Crown and Sugarloaf such as theOld Bell (reputedly built by Sir Christopher Wren in 1670), Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese (destroyed by the Great Fire in 1666 and rebuilt in 1667) and the Black Friar (unique interior).

Venue Location

Crown and Sugarloaf

26 Bride Lane

City of London

EC4Y 8DT

Tel: 020 7353 3693

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.