Wenlock's No. 1 House

The brewery may be gone, but some of its pubs survive. Wenlock was bought out by Bass in the early 1960s. The brewery building was demolished some years ago, but the adjoining tap survives: The Wenlock Arms is a renowned freehouse, voted London's favourite pub by readers of this blog last year.

Walking through Fitzrovia on Sunday, I spotted two Wenlock liveried pubs within a few hundred yards of one another. The first wears the name proudly across its tiled, 1930s exterior. The Carpenters Arms is on Howland Street, close to Tottenham Court Road. It's recently been refurbished by Mitchells & Butlers, offering a decent beer selection and strangely furnished roof terrace.

Walking west under the shadow of the BT Tower, Howland Street gives way to New Cavendish Street. Opposite the concrete monstrosity of the University of Westminster sits a neglected little pub, The Ship. From the outside, its allegiance is unclear, thanks to that 1960s takeover. Large vintage Bass lanterns proclaim Burton's famous ale, still dispensed from handpumps inside. However, smaller and well preserved Wenlock signs still cling to the brick at first floor level. Only when peering through the window will you see the clincher. A large painted banner above the bar, partly obscured by hanging nautical paraphernalia, proclaims proudly that this is "Wenlock's No. 1 House".