Holborn · Camden
Princess Louise
The best-preserved Victorian interior in all of London
- Address208 High Holborn, Holborn, London, WC1V 7EP
- Phone020 7405 8816
- Websiteprincesslouiseholborn.co.uk
- OwnershipPart of Samuel Smith's
About Princess Louise
A pub from 1872 with original mirrors, tiling and screens that many consider the finest Victorian saloon in the city.
Built in 1872 and decorated in 1891 by William B. Simpson and Sons, the Princess Louise keeps its famous 'snob screens', etched-glass partitions that once separated wealthier drinkers from the bar staff. The building is Grade II* listed and appears in CAMRA's national inventory of historic pub interiors, with Corinthian columns, original marble urinals and a central island bar. Between the late fifties and early sixties it hosted the folk clubs run by Ewan MacColl, becoming a key meeting point of the British folk revival. Since 1998 it has been run by the independent Samuel Smith's brewery of Tadcaster, which restored the pub in 2007 and won a CAMRA design award the following year. It remains a required stop for anyone wanting to see what drinking in Victorian London looked like.
On tap
Samuel Smith's Old Brewery Bitter served from wooden casks, plus house wine and a selection of spirits.
Food
Classic British pub dishes and lighter options, with finger-food menus and buffets for private events.
More pubs in Holborn
- Cittie of YorkeA Gothic nave of beer beside the Inns of Court
- Ye Olde MitreThe secret pub tucked down an alley almost no one finds