Pubs come in all shapes and sizes, old and modern, down to earth and sophisticated, quiet and noisy, and the Marlborough Arms in Torrington Place, WCI, comes in to my category of very relaxed, enjoyable, pleasant urban pubs.
A great plus point for this hostelry near the University of London - more precisely near SOAS, UCL, Birkbeck and Senate House - is the fine range of real ales stocked. There are at least half a dozen real ales on tap including Directors bitter and Theakstone's Old Peculiar- you can't get much better than that! The pub also has a selection of Continental-style lagers if they are to your taste-as well as a massive stock of wines and spirits.
The bar service friendly but highly efficient and the patrons an interesting mix including overseas visitors, lecturers and students from the University of London and other local residents of Bloomsbury. The atmosphere here is best described as cosy and cheerful.
The Marlborough Arms comes in the traditional category of London pubs but it has the modern conveniences including very clean toilets. The prices are just about average for Central London, there are certainly dearer joints around but equally there are pubs which are cheaper. The pub comes under the Scottish and Newcastle group and is well worth a visit if you are in the Bloomsbury area.