George

Beautifully preserved 16th-c coaching inn, with lots of tables in bustling courtyard to take in the galleried exterior.

Mentioned in [I]Little Dorritt[I] and perhaps the country's best example of a historic coaching inn, this splendidly preserved building is well known(and can attract lots of tourists) for its stunning tiers of outside open galleries. Tables in the cobbled courtyard give you plenty of time to take it all in. Owned by the National Trust, the building dates from the 16th c, but was rebuilt to the original plan after the great Southwark fire of 1676. What survives today is only a third of the original building; it was 'mercilessly reduced' as E V Lucas put it, during the period when it was owned by the Great Northern Railway Company. Unless you know where you're going (or you're in one of the many tourist groups that flock here in summer) you may well miss it, as apart from the great gates and sign there's little to indicate that such a gem still exists behind the less auspicious-looking buildings on the busy high street. Less appealing than its façade, the row of no-frills ground-floor rooms and bars all have square-latticed windows, black beams, bare floorboards, some panelling, plain oak or elm tables and old-fashioned built-in settles, along with a 1797 'Act of Parliament' clock, dimpled glass lantern-lamps and so forth. The best seats indoors are in a snug room nearest the street, where there's an ancient beer engine that looks like a cash register. In summer they open a bar with direct service into the courtyard (when it's busy it may be quicker to order your drinks inside) and though staff cope well with the crowds, for some readers it can have the same impersonalt feel as other National Trust pubs. Greene King Abbot, IPA, Old Speckled Hen and a beer brewed by them for the pub on handpump; mulled wine in winter, tea and coffee. An impressive central staircase goes up to a series of dining-rooms and to a gaslit balcony; darts, trivia games machine.

Good value lunchtime bar food includes doorstop sandwiches and wraps, filled baked potatoes, ham, egg and chips, scampi, sausage and mash, fish and chips, and puddings like black forest gateau or apple crumble; they do a Sunday carvery. In the evening you can only eat in the balcony restaurant.