CityPubs

December 2006, the oldest inside pub picture I have.

CityPubs.co.uk was born from my love of the pubs and bars dotted around the City of London, the financial centre of London — known locally as "The Square Mile".

It all started back in 1997, when I began working in the City for Deutsche Asset Management over at Finsbury Circus. Back then, there was a wonderful tradition of nipping to the pub — either for a proper lunchtime visit or an hour or two to wind down after work.

The Friday lunchtime session, without a doubt, was the jewel in the crown. It was always packed, and what made it special was the lovely jumble of people it drew together — a real cross-section from teams that otherwise rarely crossed paths. HR, IT, BAU, BA, Finance, Audit, Credit Control — all squeezed around the same sticky tables. Old hands swapping war stories with wide-eyed new starters, everyone united by a shared fondness for a good English pint, proper doorstep sandwich and a bit of frank, no-nonsense chat.

If I'm honest, there was one thing I'd have happily changed: it was nearly always a sea of blokes. Having a few of the ladies along to even things out was a rare treat, and the sessions were always the better for it — a touch more variety, a touch more balance, and frankly just nicer company all round. A shame it didn't happen more often.

Still, magic happened in those pubs. Strong bonds were forged and knowledge passed along without anyone ever needing to book a meeting room. You'd get an ear to the ground, a hint of where the company was heading, a few honest ideas about what really needed fixing.

Now, I'll happily admit it — Friday afternoon productivity took a bit of a hit after a lunchtime pint or three. And it's only fair to acknowledge that those who didn't join in, for all sorts of perfectly good reasons, could end up feeling a bit left out, which was never the intention. But as they say — you pays your money and you takes your choice. I think it's fairly obvious which camp I pitched my tent in. For me, the friendships built and the connections made across all those different teams far outweighed a slightly sleepy Friday afternoon.

The German comedian Henning Wehn put it rather brilliantly: the English and the Germans aren't so different — we both love a drink. The only difference is the Germans enjoy theirs once the work is done! You really can't argue with that.

As the 2000s rolled on, the Friday lunchtime tradition slowly began to fade. Eventually, with the rise of HR and a growing expectation of full-throttle output at all times, senior management let it be known that Friday lunchtime drinks were off the menu. In time, that hardened into official company policy: no drinking during work hours, full stop.

Of course, the old guard — being a resourceful bunch — simply found a workaround. The favourite? A swift migration to Thursday after work. Thursday 6pm quietly became the new Friday lunchtime, except now with a far more flexible finish time… which, predictably, meant rather more was consumed. The net result: Friday was written off entirely, with a fleet of hangovers slowing output to a gentle trickle.

Times have well and truly changed since then. The old guard has long since moved on, and in their place a younger crowd has arrived — many of them working from home, far from the clink of glasses and the buzz of a Friday crowd. The City pub tradition isn't quite what it was. And that's really why this site exists. If CityPubs helps, in any small way, to shine a light on the wonderful tradition of the English pub, tavern or bar, then it will have done exactly the job I hoped it would.

I was warmly heartened during Prime Minister's Questions yesterday, Wednesday 20th May 2026, when the new Green MP for Gorton and Denton, Hannah Spencer, expressed her shock that some of her colleagues enjoy a drink in a Parliament bar before voting. If MPs are still nipping to the bar in 2026 — enough to scandalise a newcomer on the green benches — then perhaps not all traditions fall away completely.

“There is nothing which has yet been contrived by man, by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern or inn” — Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)