Why we love the Square Mile’s Williamson’s Tavern
In a new series celebrating the businesses nominated for the Toast the City awards, Adam Bloodworth visits one of the Square Mile’s best hidden gems, Williamson’s Tavern, an alleyway-based boozer with a vibe like no other
What is it? Ancient rules dictate that sightlines to St Paul’s must be visible from across the capital and that no new buildings can block the iconic dome. The City’s Watling Street is one of the most pronounced examples of how architecture seems to bend out of the way of the great religious totem. Ye Olde Watling on Watling Street itself is a splendid pub on this prettiest of streets – but head down a nearby alleyway to find the area’s most underrated pub that is a hit with local business people veering away from the crowds.
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Why go? For starters (well, for mains actually), the BLT is absolutely killer – and for twelve quid, it’s one of the best value lunches in the Square Mile. But the pub itself also induces salivation: down the type of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it alleyway where corporates put away pints in the afternoons out of sight, the Williamson’s Tavern is where to go to avoid running the risk of bumping into a colleague on your lunchbreak.
You’d miss it if you didn’t know it was there. When you see it, it looks like a hole-in-the-wall sort of place, but inside it’s a surprisingly labyrinthine Victorian pub, so big that there’s plenty of space even on Thirsty Thursdays – and it’s pretty too, filled with the sort of beautiful wood and mozaic tilework flooring that earmarks the very best London pubs. Find a spot in the corner and sink something delicious while feeling smug in the knowledge that you know about the City’s secret pub.
When’s best to go? For lunch. It’s nearly always quiet. The best seats in the house are opposite the bar under the stained glass windows. Grab a pew and order the BLT, and a lunch offer promises a drink (alcoholic or non) for a few extra quid. The pub particularly champions their in-house range of pies, and there’s all the classic pub food dishes too.
Who to take? Poltergeist fiends. Martha, who is said to haunt the hallways, has the pub’s dining rooms named after her, so affectionate are the proprietors to her presence. Less imbibed by her are Canada’s police dogs, which are said to growl at her presence whenever they prowl by. Williamson’s Tavern was reimagined in the 1930s but built shortly after the Fire of London, so it’s hardly surprising that there’s a Martha or two laying low in the rafters…
