The history displayed on a plaque outside this cubby-hole of a pub dates back as far as 1132, when an alehouse stood on this site. In Tudor times, it was frequented by the tailors and drapers who gave the pub its current name.
Oval-shaped, with an island bar of similar outline, and black-and-white images of old London complementing the atmosphere, the Hand & Shears continues to preserve the tradition it has spent centuries bolstering. Courage Best (yes, that traditional), Greene King IPA and Adnams are served from an honest wooden bar in a room that’s quiet enough to amplify the odd sole making a scuffing sound on the bare floorboards.
The menu is of the sausage-and-mash-for-a-fiver variety.