London Pub Tour 54 - Westminster: Greencoat Boy, Grafton Arms and The Speaker

The beautiful weather was still about and it was Friday after work, so it called for a drink. I decided to stay locally and headed towards Westminster and the Greencoat Boy (SW1P 1PJ). The pub sits just off Victoria street and is set back from the road. Like most of the pubs in the area this is an old Taylor Walker converted to a Greene King. A few people were on the pavement outside drinking, and this can get busy later on into the evening. I got in just before the after work rush, though tables were reserved and no seating was available. The bar is situated at the rear, and is slightly staggered with one side set back further than the other. The pub has high tables on the wood floor sections and low tables on the carpet sections. The wood paneled ceiling is painted white which bring a bit of extra light from the windows that are based on two sides of the pub. Other than this, the pub sticks to a dark interior and the usual TV in a gold photo frame that Taylor Walker pubs love. I understand there is a cellar bar beneath which is available for functions but didn't seem to be in use on this day.


The bar had a selection of 6 Hand Pumps offering up GK IPA twice, Greencoat Boy Best Bitter (GK House) twice, Truman Swift and the final pump was off. Keg wise there was Becks Vier, Guinness, Fosters, Estrella, Peroni, Aspalls Suffolk, Hop House 13 and Dead Pony. Considering the weather and options I kept is safe and went for a pint of Becks Vier at £4.50. The pint went down quickly, as the euro lagers do, and I made my way out through the crowd that had now started gathering around the bar and in

I made my way to the pedestrianised Strutton Ground to the Grafton Arms (SW1P 2HP) which is a Greene King pub next door to the Munich Cricket Club. The is not very wide but is long and quite dark. It actually had the feel of old school boozer with the low lighting and guys sat at the bar. The bar is set back a bit on the far left. Along the right hand wall there are small cubby holes with tables and seating. A snug is right at the rear which looked comfortable and dimly lit. The floor is a dark wood, with some exposed brick walls and other parts wood paneled. Some tourists are sat in the seats by the front window, and in all about 10 people in the pub, though a work crowd appeared just after I ordered and increased the number to 20, though the noise level remained the same.

There were 6 hand pumps with two being out of action (Knees up and Trumans Runner). The 4 in action were IPA, Blonde, Landlord and Patron Saint Ale. The keg offers were Aspalls Suffolk, Peroni, Stella, Fosters, Hells, London Lager, Becks Vier, Guinness, 1664 and Over Easy. There was a standard GK bottle selection in the large fridge. I went for a pint of Patron Saint which had a temporary badge on and didn't give away it was a GK beer. It just tasted like a standard GK ale with no overall unique taste. The pub has potential to be a nice old school boozer in the city but it doesn't appear to be that popular.

I left the dark of the Garfton and walked a short distance round the corner to the Speaker (SW1P 2HA). The outside pavement was rammed with people drinking though the sun had since gone in. The Speaker is a single room pub that sits on a corner with it dark green exterior. The interior has a worn red and blue pattern carpet. The wall is wood paneled and there are caricatures and historical pictures. There are low tables all along the outside window, with most being 2 or 4 seaters apart from a large reserved one in the rear of the pub which seats bigger groups of 8. This is only a small pub and there must be 50+ people inside.

The bar sits against the back wall facing out the main window and there is a book cabinet on top. There are 5 hand pumps on the bar offering up Landlord, Empire Forbidden, Wandle, Curiously Dark, Pleasure Principle. On keg there was Pilsner Urquell, Peroni, Stowford Press, Kozel, Sam Adams and Guinness.

I went for a pint of Curiously Dark at £4.50 which was a very nice dark mild, very smooth and tasty. This pub always has a nice selection of ales but is best visited outside of the busy periods, when you can get a seat and relax and observe the world. When serving they ask if your inside or out, as anyone outside needs to take their drink in plastic. The pub had 4 bar staff in the small bar area and were speedy and at serving. A board hangs to the side showing beers coming soon, which is a definite way to tempt people back.