The Sutton story isn't the only historical gem associated with this establishment. The building has housed a drinking establishment since it's inception. Even during prohibition, the caretakers of London blackened out the windows and ran the place as a speakeasy.

If you visit London at night, you'll notice that on the outside of the building, they have clusters of lights that resemble bursting fireworks mounted to the brick face. If you look closely at the picture at the bottom of this page, you can see the circular lights pointed out by the red arrows. The effect is more prominent at night.  

You enter London, off of 23rd street, into the center of the establishment: to your right is the dining area and to your left is the bar area. The dining area is small but elegantly decorated: table cloths, lights dimmed low and a smattering of bric-a-brac on the walls.

Not to be out done by the dining room, London's bar has a few tricks up its sleeve. Some subtle nuances of the bar bring to mind it's namesake. You can order Yard's beer from the tap; the difference here is that the bar tender will pull you a pint of Yard's, rather than let pressure do the work. There are literally only a handful of places in the city that still serve beer this way. Some beer connoisseurs prefer their pints poured this way since there is no artificial carbonation tainting the natural flavor of the brew. Other favorites that find there way to London's taps are Boddington's, Bass, Guinness, and Rogue's Dead Guy Ale.

The wooden bar can supplant about 20 people. The remainder of the room is occupied by 6 tall tables. One television is mounted over one corner of the bar. You can almost be guaranteed that if there is a soccer match playing on one of the channels, it will be the one shown on the TV.

As mentioned earlier, the firework style lighting is hanging around the bar. These lights are more pleasing from a distance, and they don't seem to have the same effect of "exploding fireworks" when viewed a few feet away under a couple of incandescent lights. In addition to a few bric-a-brac items on the walls, there is an old map of the area, which prominently displays the Eastern State Penitentiary.

If you are need of using the bathroom, head to the door marked "WC" overhead. The "WC" stands for Water Closet, aka bathroom. There is another pair of bathrooms on the second floor. Just outside of these bathrooms are a nice collection of photos that document London's interesting history as a fine purveyor of drink.

The crowd at London is mostly the post college to early 30's type. During this visit, the place seemed to be populated by small groups of 4 or more, mainly keeping to themselves.

Location is always a nice consideration when visiting a pub. Luckily a new parking lot opened up right across 23rd Street. It's run you about $5 for the night or you can scour the streets for a spot. Once you find a spot in the vicinity, you'll have plenty of options. London is centrally located within one block of The Bishop's Collar, Bridgid's, Rembrandt's and Jack's Firehouse. 

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