I also had mixed feeling about doing this square as on the
pub front there is a heavy concentration of Cask Marque pubs round Euston
Station but as previously alluded to, it’s not an area one immediately
associates with beauty or sights worth seeing.
The first pub was The Britannia which is located within the
concrete monstrosity that is Euston Station itself. It’s been noticeable that’s
there’s been a bit of a resurgence of these station pubs recently with many of
them having well needed facelifts and much needed refurbishments. It also seems
to be a sector that the big brewing pub groups want to get into to. I’d already
visited Fuller’s Mad Bishop and Bear at Paddington, The Isambard (also at
Paddington) and The Wellesley at Waterloo – the latter two I’m not sure who
runs them but going from the signage and styling it seems to be the same
company which runs The Britannia. They are a bit of a conundrum these “new”
station pubs; on the one hand I have to applaud a better class of boozer for thirsty
travellers which have a commitment to Real Ale, and they certainly try to
present something more than a swilling hole tacked on to a station. But on the
other hand why do they go down the traditional pub styling route? You can’t
just sling a few wing back chairs, a mock fireplace and wall lamps into what is
a plasterboard box and expect to create an attractive atmosphere. Why try to
recreate someone’s local when the one thing you’re definitely not going to have
are locals?
The Britannia, coming to a station near you...
Anyway before I get too deep, The Britannia was clean and
tidy and most importantly had the Cask Marque certificate displayed at the end
of the bar. I’d only recently found out via Nate Dawg that it was in fact IPA-Day so it seemed only right to try to drink IPA. The only one on offer was
Greene King’s version (which is discussed further in Kings Cross) and the ½
pint I ordered was fine and fresh but it was something approaching relief that
I could escape the suitcases and other assorted luggage of the other customers
and go and find a proper pub.
I’ve also previously mentioned in the Kings Cross episode my
aborted attempt to find Fuller’s The Doric Arch (Head of Steam) – This time
finding it was easier but it’s still tucked away on a corner of Euston Square
and although there is a good flow of passing pedestrians, for drinkers searching
for the place it can easily be missed. Which is a real shame because it’s a
gem! Pleasantly decorated with a railway theme it’s quiet and personable and is
probably everything The Britannia wishes it could be. There was a great range
of Fuller’s beers on but I blindly plumped for a guest ale, a pint of Mauldons
Pickwick which although was extremely well conditioned and very tasty I’d
missed the fact they had a seasonal Fuller’s ale on, Wild River, which from the
description seems to be very much an IPA to my untrained eye. If you’re
wondering about the name of the pub, apparently Euston Station used to have a
huge Doric Arch as the entry way to the station. Of course it’s since been
pulled down to make way for the modern station but apparently there is a stone
of it kept behind the bar.
Today's Doric Arch
Yesterday's Doric Arch
It was then just a short hop over the Eversholt Road to the
Royal George, a large traditional corner pub from the Taylor Walker pub group.
The barman was more than happy to lift the certificate from where it was
displayed behind the bar so I could scan it, and with the pub merrily decked
out in Olympic flags it seemed only appropriate to have a pint of Young’s
London Gold.
The Royal George gets in the Olympic spirit
In terms of the Olympics I was in good company as on the next
table to me were three official timekeepers from Omega but even their watches
would have been put to the test by the amazing antics of the British Cycling
Team who were performing world record brilliance on the big screen TV. When the
world asks “where were you when Chris Hoy won his 5th Gold Medal?”
my answer will be the Royal George, Euston.
The official timekeepers measure the awesomeness of the GB cycling team.
So finally after visiting three pubs I hit the Euston Road
proper and crossed it to head up Mabeldon Place to the aptly named Mabel’sTavern. Mabel’s is a Shepherd Neame pub and is a regular entry in CAMRA’s Good
Beer Guide (although isn’t in the latest edition – The Doric Arch and Euston
Flyer however are) and proudly displays a CAMRA Pub of the Year certificate
alongside the Cask Marque one.
Mabel's Tavern
I asked the barmaid if I could scan it which
slightly threw her and she needed to ask permission from the manager to do so
(?) - mind you this was the same barmaid
who when asking me what I wanted, I indicated that another lady was in front of
me, she then went and served the chap behind me! I know queuing is a national
sport here but equally interpretation of the queue is a necessary skill that
all barstaff should be able to do. Anyway, I digress; I choose a pint of
Whitstable Bay and had a nice chat with the lady who had been in front of me in
the queue. When the world asks “where were you when Chris Hoy got presented
with his 5th Gold Medal?” my answer will be the Mabel’s Tavern,
Euston.
So finally it was on to the 5th pub (yeah, talk
about 5 gold medals – what about 5 pubs!) and the only one actually on the
Euston Road. The Euston Flyer is another Fuller’s pub and is a world away from
the Doric Arch. It’s a huge place where big screen TV takes priority and there
was a large international crowd watching the Olympic swimming. Although the
place was rammed with people, service was very quick and my pint of Seafarers
was served up almost as quickly as the certificate was given to me from behind
the bar, which seeing as the place was so busy was quite understanding by the
barstaff. It was only when I was sat down that I saw that the pub actually has
two Cask Marque certificates behind the bar, which perhaps reflects the hurly-burly
nature of the pub.
The hurly-burly of the Euston Flyer
So with Jack reminding me it was time to go home I made my
way back up Euston Road to the tube, it was then I reflected back on my
attitude to this area of London. It’s still not the most attractive area but
there are some glimpses of magic as well. Just check out the fantastic steeple
of St Pancras parish church……………….seriously, check it out. I could also reflect
back on a 5 Cask Marque certificate haul which is by far my PB!
Number of Cask Marque Pubs visited = 49
How did Jack enjoy the visit? = Much better than last time!
When’s the next visit then? = Not for two weeks. Unless
there’s a Pentonville Road in Malta!
Next Stop = Pentonville Road
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