Smithfield · the City of London
The Hand & Shears
A Grade II listed Smithfield corner pub that keeps weekday hours
- Address1 Middle Street, Smithfield, London, EC1A 7JA
- Phone020 7600 0257
- Websitethehandandshears.com
- OwnershipIndependent pub
About The Hand & Shears
A Grade II listed corner pub beside St Bartholomew the Great, with four small bars around a central servery and a name taken from Bartholomew Fair.
The Hand & Shears stands on the corner of Middle Street and Kinghorn Street, steps from Smithfield market and St Bartholomew the Great. The building was rebuilt around 1850 and its interior remodelled in 1896, leaving four small bar areas around a central servery; it is Grade II listed and rated three stars on CAMRA’s inventory of historic pub interiors. The name comes from Bartholomew Fair, which the Lord Mayor opened by cutting a piece of cloth with shears, and the upstairs room is named after the fair’s Court of Pie Powder. It is a weekday pub, open Monday to Friday and closed at weekends and on bank holidays.
On tap
Cask ales such as Timothy Taylor Landlord and Bass, a house ale brewed for the pub by Portobello, plus craft beers, wines and whiskies.
Food
Bar snacks such as pork pies rather than a full kitchen, so check ahead.
More pubs in Smithfield
- The Viaduct TavernOne of London's last true gin palaces
- The Old Red CowA serious beer list opposite Smithfield station
- The Fox and AnchorThe market's traditional early-opener
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