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Yelp
The Shipwright Arms (or The Shipwreck as it is affectionately known amoung my friends) is a grotty, smelly, dingy little boozer.* And I love it!
The crowd is quite a mix - locals, office types, toe-capped boots, the odd studenty dramatic type (there is a theatre just out back), and the odd tourist attracted by the nautical theme (or just the large-breasted bust above the door. Make your own joke about fine pairs of nauticals on your way in. If you're as juevenile as us you'll never stop finding it funny.)
It gets quite crowded pretty quickly, first with the office lot who slowly get replaced by people out/on their way out. You know Out-out.
There is no artifical charm about this place, no branding, no pretention. They have 3 beers (Adnams, Deuchars IPA and Spitfire at the last measure) which are always pretty tidy, plus your standard largers, 'bow and black magic. The food isn't fussy, and it's good. Don't get me wrong, you wouldn't come on a date here. It's lunch time Lets-have-something-to-soak-up-the-4-pints-we've-just-had-before-going-back-to-the-office food. As it should be.
One of my favourite features of the pub is the bar - a huge square plonked in the middle of the room. Makes for easy access but I can imagine it must be a right bugger to work. Not always easy to know who's next to be served but if you've got any manners and half a brain it shouldn't be a problem. (If you don't, and we both know who you are, then you shouldn't be allowed out in civilised society so I don't really care what you think.)
The staff are generaly of the buxom, no nonsense variety and fit the character of the pub very nicely.
Frankly I think this is just about as good as a traditional London pub gets.
*It doesn't actually smell any better/worse than any other decent pub. It just feels as though it ought to. And it's not really grotty, it's kept pretty clean. And cosy is more accurate the dingy...