"Although it looks like an old traditional pub, apparently it is a relatively modern conversion of a former shop. If so, the transformation has been well done and The Reliance feels like it has been here for ever, not least because of the rickety wooden staircase that runs up the side of the building from the side door and toilets at the bottom to the top floor which, unusually, houses one of London’s most interesting art galleries. When the current coronavirus crisis is over and we all re-examine lessons learnt about that might change the way that we do things in the future, art galleries and pubs will both be looking at the cost of physical premises with their high rental costs and business rates. Partnerships such as the one here may become more frequent. There is something surreal about visiting a pub when it is not full of customers as you wander through the empty bar spaces to reach Charlie Smith London, the art gallery at the top floo, which, until the recent closures due to coronavirus across the UK, was host to Hugh Mendes and ‘Autorretrato: The Female Gaze’. Having looked at the menu, I have to admit that it is very tempting to return when the pub is busier and enjoy a drink here. As with other art galleries, Charlie Smith has embraced the digital world for its next exhibition, until the world returns to some form of normality."
