Trees strung with chandeliers, painted oil drums, stairs to nowhere… and the moon.
Your seating options at Vaulty Towers are slightly unconventional.
This madcap, entirely surreal drinking establishment is essentially a giant props store for The Vaults, the underground theatre set in the tunnels of Waterloo station. Perched just opposite on Lower Marsh, it’s the perfect – and quite possibly only – place for a pre-theatre pint overlooked by a pair of giraffes.
Hundreds of old puppets, costumes and bits of scenery from productions past are festooned around the pub and its various nooks and crannies. A tiny staircase leads up to a private treehouse den; ottomans at the front swaddle you in glowing clouds. You can, if you so choose, sit inside a crescent moon. And up at the bar, giant fairground lettering illuminates comfortable pickings – beers on tap, wine, cocktails, and a lot of gin.
Filled with theatre-goers and theatre-makers kicking back after a show, Vaulty Towers is a solid bet any night of the week (especially if you have a theatre ticket, which’ll get you 10% off). Tucked beneath it all is a basement bar filled with Chesterfields that occasionally plays host to life drawing, comedy and cabaret. But there are a couple of special events in the calendar here too, including a famous Sunday roast (a pinch at £15), live blues on a Sunday, and a Monday night quiz (starring “lunges”, “punishments” and “weird bits”).
So just a normal Monday night, then.
NOTE: Vaulty Towers is usually open daily, but please check opening times as they vary under the current circumstances. You can find out more, and book a table, right HERE.
Vaulty Towers | 34 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7RG
Need some food to soak up all that booze? Give one of these Southbank restaurants a try.
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Carpe Diem!