The Salisbury, London

Posted on 28. May, 2011 by Robert Gale in Pubs

The Salisbury, London

Located in the heart of Theatreland on the western edge of Covent Garden and near Leicester Square, the Salisbury is a excellent example of a 19th century Victorian pub.

Brief History and Interior

Dating back to at least the early 19th century and originally called the Coach and Horses, a lease for the pub was taken out on the property in 1892 from the Marquis of Salisbury. The Coach and Horses was demolished and the Salisbury Stores was built. Named after the current Prime Minister – the third Marquis of Salisbury – and would have been a wine merchant as well as a regular gin palace.

The pub was rebuilt at the end of the Victorian era in 1898, the same time as many other pubs in the city were being remodeled. It was this remodeling that gave us the grand interior that we see today. The flamboyant interior features lots of etched mirrors, bronze lamps in the form of nymphs and a grand mahogany bar. The pub had a sympathetic restoration in 1963.

The pub dropped Stores from it’s name in the 1960s and became popular with London’s theatrical gay community when homosexuality was illegal.

The Beer

There’s always a good selection of ale available with beers from Youngster, Fullers, Purity, Timothy Taylor and St Austell featuring.

More Photos of the Salisbury

Venue Location

The Salisbury

90 St Martin’s Lane

London

WC2N 4AP

Tel: 020 7836 5863

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.