The Viaduct Tavern, London

Posted on 19. Jan, 2011 by Robert Gale in Pubs

Viaduct Tavern, London

The Viaduct Tavern is a Victorian pub located in the City of London across the road from the Old Bailey.

Brief History

The Viaduct opened in 1869, the same year as the nearby Holborn Viaduct, the world’s first flyover. The pub sits on the site of the Giltspur Street Compter, a small prison that mainly housed debtors. The prison was designed by George Dance the Younger and opened in 1791 and was demolished in 1854.

A Royal Mail sorting office was built on the majority of the site (now an office block owned by Merrill Lynch) and the Viaduct Tavern was built on a small portion on the corner of Giltspur Street. A few of the cells remain in the cellar of the pub and the staff are happy to take people downstairs to view them.

It is interesting to note that in between the Merrill Lynch building and the Viaduct Tavern is a plaque marking the spot of the Roman London Wall. Remains of the wall can be seen in the lobby of the office building.

The Exterior and Interior

The pub was originally was built as a gin palace and much of the Victorian style is still displayed throughout. Despite the large and impressive multi-entrance curved frontage, the interior of the pub is relatively small consisting of a single room.

There is a central bar which has been altered in recent years with the gantry being removed. This photo from Pubs.com shows how the bar used to look. It appears to have been removed by Fullers either immediately after taking over the pub from Nicholson’s or shortly after.

One of the walls contains three paintings featuring a maiden representing agriculture, banking and the arts. Apparently the latter was attacked by a First World War soldier either by shooting it or using a bayonet.

The Beer

The Viaduct is owned by Fullers so you can expect the usual beers such as Discovery, London Pride, ESB and London Porter plus bottled beers such as 1845, Golden Pride and Vintage Ale. The pub also offers a selection of food and some great sandwiches but if that’s all you are looking for you can get cheaper ones just around the corner in some of the Smithfield pubs such as The Hope.

Visiting the Pub

Being a city pub, it is only open Monday to Friday. If you are interested in viewing the prison cells you are best visiting during quiet periods such as in the morning or mid-afternoon when the pub is quieter.

More Photos of the Viaduct Tavern

Venue Location

The Viaduct Tavern

126 Newgate Street

City of London

EC1A 7AA

Tel: 020 7600 1863

twb.im/viaducttavern

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.