Just a stone’s throw from the Royal Courts of Justice, hidden gem The Cheshire Cheese is the fourth Shepherd Neame pub now being run by experienced licensees Darren and Janet Wellman.
The couple recently took on the characterful Grade II listed pub after having their eye on it for some time.
Following five months of refurbishment work, they reopened the building, which offers three floors of traditional hospitality – two bars and a top floor dedicated to dining.
The couple, whose three other pubs are all in the London area, knew what potential The Cheshire Cheese had, thanks to its central yet quiet location away from the hustle and bustle of The Strand and the Thames, and its deceptively spacious accommodation inside.
“It’s a prime London site; the opportunity arose and It was too good to pass up,” said Darren. “It’s a more central location than our others and has so much potential – we have been able to open up the top floor as a restaurant, when it wasn’t used before.”
A pub has stood on the site since the late 18th century, though it was rebuilt in 1926 to a design by revered pub architect Nowell Parr Senior. Today the Grade II listed building retains many of its 1920s features, including coloured glass panes above the bar and in its windows, and wood panelling.
With its bars now lovingly refurbished, and new furniture introduced, the pub has also been sympathetically redecorated throughout, including in its top floor restaurant and is flooded with light from windows on two sides.
The couple, who operate their business as Wellman Taverns, first began working with independent family brewer and pub company Shepherd Neame when they took on the Princess of Prussia in Prescot Street, close to Tower Bridge, in 2011. They then took on The White Swan in Aldgate followed by The Spanish Galleon near the Cutty Sark in 2022.
Janet added: “We knew The Cheshire Cheese well and had hoped it would become available. It is a traditional London pub but needed refurbishing and some love. We have tried to keep that traditional feel.
“We are very proud of what we have done here. We put the effort in, and it has been worth it.”
Concentrating on building up a regular clientele again, word has spread and the pub is enjoying a steady trade, helped by the return of food supplied by Bang Bang Kitchen, the same caterers used at The Spanish Galleon serving a delicious selection of dishes and daily specials. Menu offerings range from macaroni cheese bites with chipotle mayonnaise and signature double smash burgers to steaks and succulent fish and chips, and Carlingford oysters and a charcuturie board.
The basement bar can also be hired as a function room and has its 1920s dumb waiter in operation for speedy food orders.
You can find The Cheshire Cheese a short walk from Temple tube station, at 5 Little Essex Street, London, WC2R 3LD, by calling 020 39305366 or by visiting https://www.cheshirecheese.pub.
ENDS
About Shepherd Neame
Shepherd Neame has been based in the market town of Faversham, Kent, for over 300 years. Perhaps best known for great British classic ales such as Spitfire Amber, which carries the Royal Warrant, its diverse portfolio includes Five Grain Lager, Bear Island East Coast Pale Ale and Bear Island Triple Hopped Lager, and the Whitstable Bay Collection. It also brews international lagers under licence, including premium Thai lager Singha. The independent family business boasts an award-winning visitor centre and more than 290 pubs and hotels throughout London and the Southeast, from the city’s historic heart to the Kent coastline.
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