Not too long ago a rather inglorious locals' boozer, the Wilmington is now under the ownership of the people who elevated the The Hawley Arms into the free-sheet favourite it now is.

With the Hawley out of action for the next few months, it'll be interesting to see if the regulars decamp here; if they do, they'll find a pub very similar in layout and feel. Just like the Hawley, (signed) pictures of the great and the good (and the not so good) of the music world adorn the walls and crisps and sweets in jars are for sale behind the bar.

Where the Wilmington differs is in its focus on live music, with a separate bar and stage for up-and-coming bands to try their luck on (though we'd wager some major acts will be destined for some 'secret' gigs there).

The fact that this one was virtually impossible to get into when we first popped by on a weeknight suggests the Wilmington's doing something right; and even though it had settled down a bit when we looked in on a Sunday afternoon, a fair sized crowd was in attendance. Quite possibly the Wilmington will follow in the Hawley's footsteps and become a regular in the gossip columns, but for the moment it's making a decent enough stab at being a busy and popular pub.

CLIENTELE: regulars, afterwork crowd, locals, music fans
NEAREST STATION: Farringdon station
FEATURES: DJ, live music, comedy nights