Some people whitewater-raft for a hobby, others climb Everest for their holiday, and then there are the truly intrepid who decide, in Christmas week, to brave the eye of the retail storm: Oxford Street. If you can get in, get around and get out with your wishlist of goodies all sorted, you’ll be on a bigger high than Santa after all those sherries and mince pies left out for him on Christmas Eve.
The Tottenham
Oxford Street is not generally known for its opportunities to chill out and escape the madness, but the Tottenham, which sits almost on the corner with Tottenham Court Road, is a real traditional pub at the heart of the West End. Admittedly it gets busy at the peak of lunchtime and early evening, but pop in here for a break from last-minute gift-buying during the day and sample one of the many guest ales, like Young’s Special. Order one of their massive meal platters or hearty sausage dinners, and take a close look at the gloriously faded ornate tiles, elaborate carvings and wall hangings, which all serve to suggest a past of Victorian and Edwardian revelry long before HMV and M&S arrived…
6 Oxford St, W1D 1AN (020 7580 9680)
The Argyll Arms
If you are braving the stores at Oxford Circus, dip down into Argyll Street. The area’s elegant buildings, like the Palladium and the distinctive black and white Liberty’s, make you instantly feel that you are not only in another place, but another time. Nearby there are the funky one-off boutiques of Carnaby Street, yet you are within a couple of minutes of all the big-name brands. And tucked in neatly between all of this is a grand Victorian ale house. There has been a hostlery of the same name on this site since 1740, though the shimmering glass and rich mahogany detail here are 19th century, and the showbiz photographs on the walls celebrate its 20th-century kinship with the famous theatre within applauding distance of its doors. A great selection of beers on tap, including Young’s Bitter, add to the pub’s appeal.
18 Argyll St, W1F 7TP (020 7734 6117)
