Picture of Hamilton Hall, EC2M 7PY

Historical version 5 of Hamilton Hall, EC2M 7PY (view current version)

Wetherspoons pub right next to the Bishopsgate entrance to Liverpool Street Station.

Formerly part of the old Great Eastern Hotel, the Hamilton Hall consists of a single large room with a high, ornate ceiling. Seating on the ground floor is mostly at small square tables, though there are a few larger high tables with high chairs to match. The seating areas are carpeted, but an area of hardwood floor, bare of tables and clearly intended for vertical drinking, fans out from the entrance to surround the bar. Additional seating is on the mezzanine above the bar, and there are also some tables (no chairs) on the drinking patio out the front, again for standing-up drinking.

Perhaps the main reason to come here (apart from its proximity to the station) is for a look at the decor; the ceiling really is pretty impressive, and the huge mirror on the side wall adds light to the room. The slightly gothic chandelier-style lighting might seem a little over the top elsewhere, but doesn't look out of place here. Shame about the half-dozen flashing (albeit silent) fruit machines though.

Kake visited on a Tuesday late lunchtime in September 2009. There were plenty of people in (mostly in ones and twos, some with luggage) but there were still tables free on the ground floor. The ten (!) handpumps on the bar offered Summerskills Barley Mow (£1.25/half), Marstons Pedigree, Wickwar's Bob, Ruddles Best, Abbot Ale, Wychwood Hobgoblin, and Moorhouse Premier Bitter, with Robinsons Tit For Tat marked as "available soon". I was very pleased to see a mild on, and it was nicely kept, too.

Kake visited again on a Saturday late afternoon in September 2010. Again, there were plenty of people in (this time fewer of them appeared to be "in transit" — there were a fair few groups dressed up in "going out" clothes), but still tables free. All the handpumps were on; Caledonian Mellow Yellow was £1.30/half and tasted fresh.

Accessibility: Two steps up from the pavement to the outside drinking area and another step up to get in from there. Step-free access to the ladies' and the RADAR-locked accessible toilet on the ground floor. A sign suggests that you can get a RADAR key from the barstaff if you haven't got one on you.

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Last visited by Kake, September 2010. Opening times taken from the Wetherspoons website, September 2010.
OS X co-ord: 533248 OS Y co-ord: 181594 (Latitude: 51.517049 Longitude: -0.079371)
This is version 5 (as of 2011-06-26 14:22:11). View current version. List all versions.