The Coal Hole

After our crypt lunch, we went back to the room to rest for a while.  We didn’t want to really fall asleep, but get enough rest that we could stay up until bedtime.  Then we ran errands for the apartment necessities, and decided to walk Strand in search of somewhere interesting to have dinner.

We ended up at The Coal Hole, for no other reason than it looked interesting.  The name comes from the fact that it is rumored to be on the location of the coal cellar of the Savoy Hotel. During Victorian times it was a ‘song and supper’ club where regulars were encouraged to sing.  The singing club was believed to be started by Edmund Keane for ‘oppressed husbands whose wives forbade them from singing in the bath’.  Hahaha!  Who knew that was such an oppression that a club had to be started?  Gilbert & Sullivan regularly performed here during Edwardian Times.  Quite the history.

The interiors of these pubs and buildings, I just love.  Nooks and crannies, weirdly shaped corners and clumsily fitted stairs that would never pass OSHA inspection.  I think it’s wonderful, and makes it so much easier to picture a bunch of oppressed Victorian men lifting their ales and singing heartily along.

To get in The Coal Hole, we had to go down a flight of steps, then through a door, and down half a flight of steps into the dining area.  We were seated in a corner area that was its own glassed in little room for 2 tables.  Old fashioned advertisements for soap decorated walls with the history of the restaurant calligraphy-inscribed throughout.  That’s just fun.

I found it weirdly amusing to watch the girls tank from jetlag.  Before the meal arrived, Lydia had her head on the table.  Halfway through dinner, KatieRose put her head on the wall and fought to keep her eyes open.  Our server was in no hurry, so we had to flag her down at one point so we could get back to the apartment before we had to carry them home – which I don’t think we’re capable of anymore.

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To find out more about The Coal Hole, including pictures, menus & directions, check out their site <<<HERE>>>