The Old Bank of England

Posted on by Fee Hudson

From 1888 to 1978, the building on Fleet Street housed the Law Courts branch of the Old Bank of England. It now houses a public house serving food and drink both in the original building and in the courtyard and original route master bus.

The building retains many of its original features and architecture giving the feel that you really are in the Bank of England. The original layout has been kept so you can choose a table in the billiards room, one of the quieter areas or the main bar under a spectacular chandelier. It has been decorated to give the feel of the past with nods to both the Bank of England and also Sweeney Todd who is said to have plied his trade nearby.

Outside there is a small courtyard with seating and an actual routemaster bus with indoor seating.

A bright red route master double decker bus parked in a courtyard surrounded by buildings. The floor has blue and brown geometric tiles and there and several small tables and chairs next to the bus.
The bar of the pub. The counter looks like an old shop counter with wooden drawers and a marble top. On the wall behind are bottles of wine and spirits.
One of the seating areas in the pub with a wooden floor and wooden tables and chairs. There is a small table lamp on each with a yellow shade and the room is decorated with dark green wallpaper.

The food

The menu is a selection of traditional pub dishes and burgers. They also do a selection of smaller dishes which can be ordered as a start, a smaller main or a lunch.

The current menus can be found online here and they also have a kids menu available.

We had lunch when we visited and went for Halloumi Salad and Fish finger sandwich and found the portions to be fairly small.

A fishmonger sandwich on white bread with an enamel mug full of chips.
A salad with a halloumi and a hard boiled egg.

Drinks

The Old Bank of England has an extensive drinks and cocktails menu and you can choose to sit inside, in the courtyard or in the route master bus to enjoy your drink.

Allergies

A Gluten Free menu is available and other allergy information available on request. Items are cooked in a kitchen that contains nuts and other allergens so can not be guaranteed to be allergen free.

Location

The Old Bank of England is on Fleet Street, located between the barber shop owned by Sweeney Todd and the pie shop owned by Mrs Lovett. The nearest tube stations would be Temple or Chancery Lane.

The outside of the building. An imposing 4 storey building with arched windows, columns, white stone and marble. There are 2 Union Jacks hanging from the front of the building and an arched entrance with black wrought iron gates.

Our Thoughts

We love a bit of history and the atmosphere of the pub is fabulous for getting a glimpse back in time. The drinks were good and we enjoyed our food, however we did think the portion sizes were small for the price.

We visited in July 2023.

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