The Hoop and Grapes

The Great Fire of 1666 stopped about 50 yards short of this building. The Hoop and Grapes is one of the last timber-framed structures in the City of London, probably built in the late 17th century, though the site has been licensed since 1593 under at least four different names — The Castle, the Angel & Crown, Christopher Hills, and finally Hoop and Grapes in the 1920s. The front of the building leans visibly outward, saved from collapse by extensive restoration work. Inside, the floors are off-kilter and the beams are twisted. You can stand out front on Aldgate High Street if the light is better out there than in.

The Great Fire of 1666 stopped fifty yards short of this building. That's why it's still standing — one of the few sixteenth-century timber-framed structures left in the City. The front leans noticeably outward, held together by extensive restoration work, and the floors inside are not level. Grade II* listed. The exposed wooden beams and period windows are the real thing, not a reproduction. Opposite Aldgate station. You're in the home stretch now — four pubs to go.