Great Portland Street - The Lucky Saint

Thursday 6th April 2023

Great Portland Street is one of the six original stations on the world's first underground railway. The platforms are dark and clad in brick including the arched ceiling which looks down onto the tracks. There's a reason for this. Since the tube's opening day on January 10th 1863, the brickwork hasn't changed and the dimly lit ball shaped lamps which line both platforms are either replicas or originals now entering their 161st year constantly glowing as the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines pass by.

The station building is a more recent construction. Built in 1930, shortly before the stop settled on the name Great Portland Street, it replaced the original station building built on land belonging to the Crown Estate. Such sitting during the Victorian era required the building to have two domed towers on either side of the entrance, however, after nine years of expensive maintenance these were duly removed.

The station's more recent architecture has not gone unnoticed though. The building has been Grade II listed since 1987 and is one of national importance. Clad in terracotta, it once housed a car showroom, that most conventional of station shops, but now there is just a small cafe and a newsagent.

After a short walk down Great Portland Street itself and turning right onto Devonshire Street, you find The Lucky Saint. I have absolutely no means of fact-checking this but, The Lucky Saint could probably lay claim to being London's newest pub having opened just over a month ago. As their menus remind you, a pub has been here since 1778 but 'reimagined' for 2023.

Outside, hanging baskets descend from two floors above and people gather round barrels and extended windowsills where their pints rest during conversation. I love how London pubs spill onto the street as soon as temperatures reach double digits. Elena and Jonny were among those huddled round The Lucky Saint's perimeter stood next to a window with the frosting still bearing the name of the previous occupants, The Masons Arms.

We promptly moved inside, crossing over the words 'Get Lucky' imprinted into the porch and grabbing the last remaining table at the rear of the pub, once again finding ourselves by an unlit fireplace. At the bar, which sat in front of a very tall mirrored cabinet housing a large selection of spirits, I ordered an Allsop's IPA for the very reasonable sum of £5.50.

This was the first of three different ales I had, each of which I'd happily never drink again. The pub is the flagship bar for Lucky Saint who produce the UK's number one alcohol-free beer, well placed to serve the mass of, I assume and quite frankly hope, tee-total doctors who operate out of this corner of London. As a result, as well as their own beer on draught, there's an extensive collection of no or low alcohol beers of the bottle and can variety that I'm sure would have been far more enjoyable than my selections.

Aside from my poor choice of beer and the lack of available nuts which Jonny insist I mention, The Lucky Saint is rather pleasant. I, a man for whom the centre piece of their living room is a World Cup Wall Chart, shouldn't really be allowed to comment on interior design but here it feels classy. Modern yet traditional. A dark blue wall extends round the pub with prints, maps and a dart board all hanging from it along with a selection of pies to chose from should you so desire. The walnut floor matches the tables throughout and upon which lie cork coasters with a print of the pub's exterior. Off in the distance from our seats were large windows with unpainted frames letting in the last light of the day. I think London's newest pub might be round a while.