City of London (4) - The Black Friar

The Black Friar pub stands at 174 Queen Victoria Street, opposite Blackfriars station . Although the big debate is whether it is called the Black Friar or the Blackfriar - depends on which source you use.

Anyway, a splendid building on a corner site. The statue of the Black Friar stands like a figurehead on the prow of the building, ready to sail off on the nearby Thames.

The dates also seem to vary as to when this pub was built - it is either 1890 or 1905. The web site British Listed Buildings has it down as c.1875, remodelled in 1905 and 1917. It is Grade II* listed.

The clock itself has a gold mosaic face, but is somewhat past its best. And it is no longer in working order, or at least not showing the right time. Perhaps Nicholson's pubs could be persuaded into a little bit a restoration, especially as it now faces the swish new Blackfriars station

Previous posts in the City of London series are:
1. St Mary Woolnoth - 28 January 2013
2. St Olave Jewry - 20 April 2013
3. The Royal Exchange - 27 April 2013