Old pubs of Soho and St.Martin's

 

Last month I came back to London for a brief visit and set about sketching the streets of Soho. If I had the chance, I would draw all of Soho, every inch, and then I'd draw it again because it will probably have changed. It is nice to see that in this time of demolition and urban refurbishment (and the apparent culling of old pubs) that much still remains the same as ever. Above is Greek Street, drawn from the corner of Romilly Street, with the Prince's Theatre and the Palace Theatre bookending the scene. You may want to click on the image to see it in closer detail. On the left page you can see the timber-framed loveliness of the Three Greyhounds pub, on the corner of Old Compton, whose name references the old hunting grounds upon which Soho is built. The blue building in the middle is the old Maison Bertaux, a French patisserie which has served tea and cakes since 1871. On the corner is the Coach and Horses pub, also known as ‘Norman’s’ (after the infamous long-standing landlord Norman Balon, who claimed to be the rudest landlord in London). This pub has a good claim to being Soho’s most famous, a haunt of well known writers and actors such as Peter O’Toole, Jeffrey Barnard (he of ‘Unwell’ fame), it’s about as Proper an old Soho Drinker as it’s possible to get.

My favourite Soho pub though is the Ship. I don't know what the criteria for it being my favourite is other than it's in a good Wardour Street location (nearby to the old now-closed Intrepid Fox), I used to come here a lot, it had a lot of rockers in the past and it generally doesn't change. Well, the interior this time has been cleaned up considerably and it looks a lot shinier, but essentially it is the same old Ship and I love it. Had many a fun evening here in the past. I came in here after taking my mum to afternoon tea at Fortnum and Mason. I've sketched it before (see below); back in 2009 I sat outside on a freezing cold day to capture this old Soho landmark, and I had to use three different Micron pens to draw it because the ink kept choking up in the cold. I ended up coming in for a pint and some chips to warm up, and just put my pencil case on the radiator to bring the pens back to life. London is a lot colder than California...

This last one isn't technically in Soho but it's not far away, on St.Martin's Lane. This is the Salisbury, a pub which dates from 1898 (actually it’s much older, and was previously called the Coach and Horses, obviously a popular pub name in these parts). The name refers to the Earls / Marquises of Salisbury, landowners in this manor, the first of whom was Robert Cecil (Cecil Court is around the corner) who was a political bigwig in Elizabethan times. Right, enough history. This pub is in the heart of Theatreland, and has long been associated with actors, though theatre-going tourists flock here too for its authentic interior. After doing the inkwork and some of the wash, I popped in for a pint and to add a little bit more paint. I chatted to an old Irish builder nursing his Guinness while I painted, while groups of tourists perused their maps.
I stood next to the now boarded-up and under-redevelopment location of the Angel and Crown, right opposite. I had sketched that pub before back in 2008, on a rainy day in May (see below). I remember being so pleased to sketch in the rain, something we really don't see in Davis any more. I'll need to sketch it again when it reopens, whatever it turns out to be...

- by Pete Scully

Old pubs of Soho and St.Martin's

a South Bank Saturday stroll

Here are some happy campers. A few more sketches from my recent visit to London. People came from all over the UK to wait by the Thames for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee River Pageant earlier this month, many bedding down on the banks of the river to be sure of seeing the flotilla pass by in the pouring rain. Long to rain over us, eh! Well it wasn't raining on the day before, when I strolled down the South Bank sketching, soaking in the excitement. I love a party with a happy atmosphere, as someone once said.

 

It was windy though, and that bunting on Southwark Bridge was taking a battering. I was fine, sheltered away from the breezes, but I couldn't block out the sound of a rather less-than-stellar street band playing in the tunnel behind me. I didn't want to put on my iPod headphones though, because it was nice to have little conversations with people as they passed.

  

This charming house is right next to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, and after sketching I was surprised to learn that this is where London's great architect Sir Christopher Wren lived during the construction of St.Paul's!! Convenient location (except there was no Millennium Bridge in those days, so he probably took a ferry, or just sloshed over the muddy river in his boots).

And here is the Anchor, an old pub on Bankside, decked out for the Queen's big party. I sat for about an hour and drew this, finishing off much of the brickwork later on. I popped in to have a look around at the interior, but it was pretty busy, full of passing tourists, and so I decided against an interior sketch and went for a grilled halloumi sandwich at Borough Market instead (highly recommended!). I do love to sketch a London pub, on location. Though many are disappearing there are still so many out there, ready for us to draw (and we should, in case they do vanish, or become trendy). One flickr group I enjoy looking at is London Pubs, devoted to photos of pubs around the capital. (If you're interested here is my own Flickr set of pub drawings from London and elsewhere in the world). I would love to do an old London pub-sketch-crawl some time!
 
I am looking forward to seeing some other sketchers' London posts!

by Pete Scully

a South Bank Saturday stroll

urban sketching with london sketchers

 

A couple of months ago, while proctoring an exam at UC Davis with a notebook and pen handy, I decided to organize a sketchcrawl in the Temple and Fleet Street areas of London, and see if anyone else wanted to come as well. I was inspired by the launch of USk London and thought this a great way to meet other London sketchers. I wasn't wrong! On May 26 more than fifty of us got together and drew my favourite part of town, with the main bulk meeting outside Temple station on a hot sunny and altogether happy Saturday morning. Dang, I miss London when it's like this!
 
It was so cool to finally meet London sketchers who I had followed online for years (though I didn't get to meet everyone - sorry James, next time!), as well as many more sketchers I hope to sketch with again. Before the sketchcrawl kicked off, I got a very quick sketch in of Temple Station, and followed this with a sketch by the Thames, accompanied by my two long-lost cousins Dawn and Claire (who are both truly amazing artists, and who I was seeing for the first time since I was smaller and people were taller). The large pointy thing in the distance is the Shard, Europe's tallest building. I think the motto of the project is "come and have a go if you think you're shard enough", or something along those lines.
 
I missed the midway point at Temple Church because even though I knew much of the Temple shuts its gates at the weekend, I am clearly not the savvy know-every-alley Londoner I used to be (and believe me, I really used to be). That's what seven years of America's grid systems does to a man. By the time the secrets had been revealed I was mid-sketch, so just carried on, before following my cousins down to the Cheshire Cheese - no, not that one, a different one round the corner from St.Clement Dane's. It appears at the top of this post. Incidentally the sketch below on the left, that is the Prince Henry Room on Fleet Street, but the gate around it is actually a detail of the building (a closed gate which I had hoped to visit the Temple church by, ho hum). the one on the right, Essex Street I believe, was probably the quickest of these sketches at less than 20 minutes including colour (the pub above took an hour and a half without colour, added later) and the reason is perhaps because that one was drawn while I wasn't yapping away! Well, I don't get out much, its nice to talk to people about pens and stuff.
 
Ah, now this sketch below, drawn in my small Miquelrius sketchbook (with the Lapin-drawn cover), this was a quickie drawn while walking down Fleet Street to Gough Square. I wanted to scan this, but my scanner actually went and died while scanning. There isn't much more to this one except some blue pen for the sky. 

 

And so to the finishing line! So many amazing drawings were laid out around Hodge, Samuel Johnson's beloved pet and my favourite cat statue in London (take that, Dick Whittington). I had such a great time, and met some exceptional sketchers. I can't wait to get back to London and sketch with you again!

 

urban sketching with london sketchers

Guest Correspondent: Pete Scully

Hello, my name is Pete Scully and I will be an occasional guest correspondent on Urban Sketchers London. I'm very excited there is finally an USk blog devoted to London! I am a born and bred Londoner, from Burnt Oak on the Northern Line, but since 2005 I have been living on the other side of the world in Davis, California. There, the Sun may shine brighter and people may be cheerful, but London will always be my home city.
 
 I have been the Davis, CA correspondent on the Urban Sketchers site since its launch in 2008, and I come back to London every so often to see my family and friends. I always do as much drawing as I can, as if I am trying to take bits of old London back to America with me.

  

 I primarily use pen (Micron Pigma, various Uniballs, Copic multiliners) and watercolours (Winsor & Newton Cotman) and a watercolour Moleskine. I most like to draw urban details and urban furniture, but am really drawn to the warmth and texture of London's old pubs. The area of London I most prefer sketching is Soho, full of character and personal history, constantly evolving. Years ago, I used to be a tour guide on an open-top bus around London, and I have illustrated a guide book called "London Walks, London Stories".

  

I will be next in London in May, and am organizing a sketchcrawl around the Temple and Fleet Street areas on Saturday May 26. We'll meet at 10:30am outside Temple tube station, and sketch all day until 4:00pm, when we'll reconvene at Gough Square off of Fleet Street to look at each others' sketchbooks. Why not come and join us!

See my sketchblog, my flickr and my posts on Urban Sketchers.

Guest Correspondent: Pete Scully