The Long Hall

At first glance, the red striped blind over the doorway and painted window might suggest an American bar, but inside lies a real palace of an Irish pub. The interior is a forest of carved mahogany embellished with ornate cornices, globe lamps, cut glass chandeliers, polished brass and gilding.

The Long Hall takes its name from the long hallway that that once ran the length of the left-hand side of the building. Until 1951, the bar was for men only with the women seated along the hallway and served through hatches.

Built by Lockwood and Mowson in 1877, the Long Hall occupies the ground floor of a four storey listed building. The two halves of the pub are separated by an elaborate arched partition crowned by an antique Wekler & Schlegel clock while an even grander old mantle clock known as the 'old regulator' is the centrepiece of the back bar, confidently declaring the "correct time".

The Long Bar is something of a working museum but it has visitors and an atmosphere like no museum in the world.