Too tiny and thronged after work to supply much respite, it is nonetheless the epitome of a city pub, tucked down an atmospheric brick alley and blessed with an original fireplace. It has been known throughout the centuries as both the Coopers Arms and the Bucket of Blood (the latter because it hosted illegal prizefights in the early 1800s), and its building is said to be Tudor in origin. No one can prove it, because it was heavily rebuilt in the 1890s. You’ll find the pub on a lane just east of the intersection of Floral and Garrick streets, near Covent Garden. But you probably won’t find a place to sit unless you start drinking after lunch, which the regular patrons on its memorial wall surely did.