We recently made a return to upstairs in The Lord Edward, a place we hadn’t been to for a few months. What a brilliant place it is for a few pints with friends.
It’s rare to be able to sit in a carpeted room such as this one, with wooden beams appearing to keep the ceiling up and wooden fixtures on the wall that look like they were only slightly shaved down from oak trees.
There’s a very warm atmosphere upstairs here in The Lord Edward. It’s a place that doesn’t look like it’s had much work done in recent years, but also looks like it doesn’t need it. It’s like the pub has been pickled and preserved.
The room is like a shrine to Irish rebels of old such as Robert Emmett and Wolfe Tone, who planned and were executed for rebellions nearby. There’s crossed swords, a pike, and other implements of war of the time adorning the walls.
The pint of stout is one of the best in the city and the view over Christchurch is one of the best in the city if you can get the right seat. It’s an especially pleasant experience if you’re sitting in the pub when the church bells are ringing. Friends of ours have a tradition of going to the Lord Edward on New Years eve and going outside at midnight for the ringing of the bells. That’s a tradition I could get on board with.
As well as a good quality pint, The Lord Edward is known for its excellent toasted sandwich. The fireplace to the left as you enter provides ample heat for everyone in here, so I would definitely classify this as both a toastie pub, and a toasty pub.
The barmen are welcoming and pleasant and add to the feeling that you could be in someones living room rather than a pub.
It can get busy on weekends, but it’s generally a very pleasant place to go with a group of friends. If you get the corner as you walk in to the left you could easily squash 10 of you around 2 tables. A real gem.
