The Ship & Shovell
The Ship & Shovell is a Grade II listed pub with a quirk: it occupies two buildings facing each other across Craven Passage, by Charing Cross station, linked by a shared cellar beneath the alley. Run by Dorset brewer Hall & Woodhouse, it is a handy, characterful stop off Trafalgar Square.
Photos
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One pub, two halves
Both buildings were built as terrace houses in 1731-33 and later refaced. Until 1998 they traded as two separate pubs, The Shovell and The Ship. That year the cellars were joined by a new tunnel under Craven Passage, which now holds the kitchen, and the two became one pub, though you still cross the alley to move between halves. Inside, both halves keep a traditional look, and the brewery's Badger beers are on the bar. The kitchen in the tunnel below serves pub food, including fish and chips.
The name
The name may come from the coal heavers who drank around here, or from Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell, whose fleet was wrecked off the Isles of Scilly in 1707. Either way, it is one of the more unusual pub stories in central London.
When to go
It is tucked down a passage beside Charing Cross station, so it fills up with after-work drinkers on weekdays. Early afternoon or weekends are calmer. Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery are a couple of minutes' walk, and the Sherlock Holmes pub is next door if you are making a short crawl.
Highlights
- Split across two buildings on Craven Passage
- Linked by a tunnel and shared cellar beneath
- Grade II listed; buildings date from 1731-33
- Hall & Woodhouse (Badger) pub
- Two minutes from Trafalgar Square
Good to know
- The two halves face each other across Craven Passage; you step outside to move between them.
- Busy with after-work crowds on weekday evenings.
- Close to Charing Cross and Embankment stations.
Frequently asked questions
Nearby
Sources: en.wikipedia.org