Hoop & Grapes, London

Posted on 12. Oct, 2011 by Robert Gale in Pubs

Hoop & Grapes, London

The Hoop and Grapes is an historic 18th century Shepherd Neame-owned pub located on Farringdon Road, just off Fleet Street in the City of London.

Brief History

According to the Shepherd Neame website, the pub dates back to 1721 and the four-storey building certainly stands out amongst the more modern office blocks that surround it. The grade-II listed building was scheduled for demolition in the 1990s but was saved.

The building is situated above the now long covered over Fleet River and the infamous Fleet Prison used to be located opposite. When the Fleet Prison was in operation, a loophole in the law allowed marriages to be performed outside of the prison and the building was used as a location to marry prisoners.

Interior

The pub interior with it’s dark wood panelling and wood floor certainly feels historic and the all four floors are used for a variety of purposes. The main bar is located on the ground floor with a variety of seating around the bar and to the rear. Further back is a small heated courtyard with seating.

Climb the old staircase with it’s uneven floor and you’ll reach the first floor with a room with additional seating. Through a low beamed entrance in the corner of the room is a tiny bar which also has a door to an outside heated balcony with more seating. This floor can be hired out.

The second floor was closed when I visited but according to the barman it’s a game room that has a few dartboards and more seating. The top floor, I believe, contains the toilets.

The Beer

As the pub is owned by Shepherd Neame, all four of the hand pumps feature beers from the brewery. When i visited there were two seasonal/specialty beers available including a 4.8% Ginger Porter that was brewed by beer reviewer Simon Martin.

Visiting the Pub

If you plan on visiting the pub, it, like many others in the area, is only open Monday to Friday.

More Photos of the Hoop & Grapes

Venue Location

Hoop & Grapes

80 Farringdon Street

London

EC4A 4BL

Tel: 020 7353 8808

www.thehoopandgrapes.co.uk

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.