If you walk around Kentish Town
today, you’ll find the greatest proportion of pubs are situated around the high
street. Yet over twenty-five years ago there were a greater number of public
houses still in business, primarily based around the side streets. Many of these
pubs dated from the mid-19th century during a period of mass
expansion in the area between 1845-65, as streets of residential housing were built to serve
the burgeoning working classes as the flocked to the metropolis. Local author
John Richardson notes that many of these places were neighbourhood pubs
essential to community life, and that the reason for their sheer number was due
to area being built up before Temperance and Methodist movements became
established.[1] While
a good number of pubs in the area have been demolished over the years due to road
clearances and postwar housing schemes, the buildings of at least 15 former
public houses are still extant. Since closure, many of these sites were turned
into flats or other uses, yet incredibly the frontages of these buildings still
remain largely intact, offering a reminder into the area’s illustrious past.
Until the late 18th century, the
town consisted of only a single high street that comprised of the village, with
several inns, houses and private schools strung along the green. Some of these
inns are still extant such as The White Horse (built in 1730) subsequently
known as The Vine, The Bull & Gate, and The Bull (first licenced in 1784)
which later became The Assembly House. Others haven’t been so lucky, an
unassuming branch of Nandos was formerly the site of The Jolly Anglers,
the original site is listed as far back as 1721 when it was known as The
Complete Angler. At the time the lane beside the inn was by a popular fishing
spot beside the River Fleet. In 1849 it
was rebuilt and renovated further in the 1880’s, the building boasts some fine
architectural features including green tiling around the ground floor replete
with R&B roundels from its owners Watney, Coombe & Reid; while the
upper floor area flurry of yellow brick, with redbrick applied pilasters and
curved sash windows. From c.1899 until 1940, the pub was owned by Harry Rolles
whose family owned several pubs around London, from 1911 they were listed under
Rolles Bros. brand; and by this time the family owned four pubs in the area
along with a distillery.[2]
Rolles later became a local councillor and subsequently
became an Alderman, he was also treasurer for the St. Pancras Charity Fund.
The pub closed in 1999 and reopened as a branch of Nando in 2005, the site is
locally listed[3]
and has been largely restored to its original state, despite a few
architectural run-ins over the years. On the high street, Rolles also ran The
Wolsey Tavern at No.180 for a period; the pub opened in 1869 and was
originally known as the Cardinal Wolsey, in reference to Cardinal Thomas
Wolsey, a controlling figure in virtually all matters of state during the reign
of Henry VIII. The pub was renamed under its present incarnation in 1900 and by
this time this pub was one of several in the area to be run by Truman, Hanbury
and Buxton. By 1936 it was acquired by Harry Rolles from Rolles Bros. chain of
pubs. From 1990 onwards the pub has gone through an extensive course of
rebranding, it was known as Auntie Annies Porter House, Annies Bar and finally
Hoot ‘n’ Nannies before closing in 2014. The building remains vacant for several
years before reopening in 2021 as the Smoky Corner restaurant. Today it is a
coffee shop called Crema, yet unlike most former pub properties in the area it
is still a commercial business, so there’s still hope it may reopen as a pub at
some point; and incidentally like the Jolly Anglers up the road, the pub is locally
listed and is a classic example of mid-19th century architecture.[4]
Meanwhile over at No.259, a bakery was once the site of The Kings Arms,
originally known as The Green Dragon Inn it gained its license in 1751, and
renamed under is present name in 1785. It was rebuilt in 1832, and subsequently
taken over by Watney, Coombe and Reid. Over the years the pub had frequent
run-ins with the law, during the period when pub opening hours were restricted,
in 1959, licensee Patrick Mitchell was charged with three summonses for serving
three men at the premises after 11pm. He was conditionally discharged for 12
months on payment of 5 guineas costs in respect of each of the three summonses.
The pub closed in 1982, a permission was granted to convert the ground floor
into a solicitor’s office, with the upper floors turned into apartments. Much
of the external fixtures have been removed, including the iron-work grate on
the balcony and the granite tilework on the ground floor which supported three
pilasters and over-hanging lights. The original roof was also removed along
with the ornate sculptured coat of arms, a modern structure with three dormer
windows is now housed in its place. At the southern end of the road, before it
branches off towards Camden, is the site of The Castle Tavern, another
locally listed building, it opened in 1848 and was named the old Castle Inn on
Castle Road which was demolished in 1849 which was purported to be one of the oldest
public houses in the area. Originally a Barclay Perkins pub, one of its notable
features was a mural of jousting knights in one of its entrances with a caption
reading “Beneath the castle walls the lists/names are set where Knighthood
Chivalry and Beauty met.” And between 1904-27, it was next door to the short
lived South Kentish Town tube station. Over the years it was also known Bullet
Bar, Verge, Flowers[5]
and Heroes, by this time it had become a live music pub. In March 2013, Enterprise
Inns had their licence revoked and sold to local property developers Ringley’s
who proposed demolition. Ultimately their case was withdrawn by Camden Council,
later the building was locally listed but the council’s attempts to have it grade
II listed were rejected. Today the building has been incorporated into luxury
apartments and all the original interior fixtures on the ground floor have been
removed, though the black paint that once covered the building has been
stripped, revealing its original stucco façade.
The western side of town was largely
built during the 1860’s, it was split over several estates including Bartholomew,
Southampton and Christ Church. The former Prince of Wales at No.75 Prince
of Wales was a situated along a street which formed the spine of the
Southampton estate, constructed by local landowner Lord Southampton who originally
planned to construct plush villas for the upper classes, however as his
clientele preferred areas like St. John’s Wood he was eventually forced to build
less prestigious housing comprising of close knit terraces, the consequence of
this rapid expansion led to a degree of overcrowding and poverty. Among a
number of local properties using the Prince of Wales moniker, it dates back to
1866, it was designed in the neo-Georgian style, the frontage comprised of two
sets of arched windows with intendent rectangles below, while interspersed with
pilasters with capitals, the upper floors continue with the asymmetrical theme
with rows of bay and sash windows. Originally owned by Woodbridge & Co. and
later Charrington’s, this pub rarely made it into the news, though in 2002,
Adam Ant (formerly of Adam and the Ants) was arrested for causing an affray
when he arrived at the pub in a cowboy uniform, which caused a stir among the
locals. The pub was closed in 2010, far later than its contemporaries, while
most of the original architectural features still remain. Malden Road is one of
the major streets in the area, it is part of the B517, a major route into the
centre of London. The road once linked the ancient parish of Malden, which
meant in old English, the cross on the hill, and its name reflects the coat of
arms used for the area of Malden and Coombe.[6]
The street was once lined with shops, pubs small businesses, a cinema, school,
two churches, public library and numerous pubs. Yet much of the road’s economic
diversity was lost in the 1960’s when Camden Council instigated the construction
of the Wendling and Southfleet estates, reducing the number of shops along the
route. Many of the residential and
commercial properties were initially built between 1849-70. Six pubs were constructed
along the road during this period, including The Gipsy Queen and The Mother
Shipton (Fiddler’s), both of which are still extant. The other pubs weren’t so
lucky, while The Newberry Arms and Pensford Arms were demolished, though the
building for The Malden Arms (built in 1869) is fortunately still
in-tact and much of the original frontage remains. A neo-Georgian style two
storey-corner pub built in yellow-brick, the ground floor is replete in channelled
stucco while the upper two floors were asymmetrically arranged with rows of
stucco flanged windows, rounded off with columns of polychromatic brickwork. It
was rounded off with a steeply pitched roof with dormer windows. The pub closed
in 1997, converted into flats three years later, though its extant frontage
offers a valuable glimpse into the street’s illustrious architectural past.
Queen’s Crescent was first laid out
in 1862 and named in honour of the incumbent monarch of the time, constructed
on the Christ Church estate it comprised of developments occupied by a mixed clientele
including tradesman, solicitors, city clerks and poor working-class families. The
crescent is best known for its weekly market which was established in 1876
which had moved from Malden Road. Until 1927, the traders occupied without licence,
with only the space and size of the pitches regulated by the police. Poverty was
rife in this part of town, hungry barefoot children searching over refuse piles
was a frequent site. Pubs opened along with concourse to serve this trade including
the Sir Robert Peel (built in 1863) which continues to operate as a pub,
while further up the road resides the former site of The Dreghorn Castle
(at no.155/157) which was built into a terrace constructed around 1861,
incidentally it neighboured onto the 2nd ever branch of Sainsbury’s which
opened in 1872. It was named after a 17th century mansion based in
Colinton, Edinburgh which was partly built to resemble a medieval castle. Formerly
owned by Courage, the pub became a centre-point in the local community,
donating towards local causes including the annual fete for the Railways
Servants Orphanage, held at The Old Welsh Harp. At one time it was owned by the
Carrington family, when in 1900 Thomas Carrington took over along with his wife
Martha. Following his death in 1918, it was eventually passed onto his daughter
Minnie who ran it until 1965. The pub went through several more owners before
it closed in 2001. The ground floor was turned into retail units and upper
floors into flats; a bookmaker now occupies the building where the pub once
stood. The site is now a locally listed building, the structure is considered a
fine example of mid-19th century housing which still retains its
fine detailing including stuccoed architraves to all windows, pediments to
first floor windows, and a projecting cornice, while the shopfronts still
remain historic elements such as decorative console brackets, timber mullions
and fascias. Going towards the southern end of the road is the former site of
the Queen’s Arms on the corner with Marsden Street, it opened c.1856,
notable for being one of the first pubs to open in the street, and run by
Charrington’s. In its final years it was repurposed as a bar called Monkey
Chews, according to its signage in the dining area it wryly noted ‘Warm beer,
lousy food, sad service,’ though Time Out noted at the time it’s was anything but,
with its quirky character and constantly changing art exhibitions being a major
selling point. The pub closed in 2010, and Camden Council granted permission
for conversion into flats.
Notably, Grafton Road once
boasted four pubs, including The Carlton, a Whitbread house dating
back to 1854, it was originally called The Carlton Tavern, the local area also had a
Calton Chapel House, Carlton School (until 2021) and Carlton Street which was
demolished in the 1960’s. By 1892, the pub was notable for selling Whitbread’s
Three Guinea Imperial Stout, Young’s Bitter and Burton Ales on draught; and in
later years it had its own darts team who took part in the Super Darts League,
it even featured in the ‘Gideon’s Way’ episode ‘Gang War’, during the scene where
the police keep a close eye on the club and Blake’s movements. The pub closed
in 1996, later converted into apartments, yet incredibly it’s one of a few Victorian
buildings in the street that escaped demolition during the 1960’s. When the
building was restored, its original name was re-utilized for the frontage.
While the hanging sign is an original Whitbread sign, with a coat of arms and
the words ‘Carlton Tavern’ below. The Whitbread cast-aluminium sign can be seen
above the artwork. While the likes of The Mitre have largely been redeveloped
beyond recognition, the Mamelon Tower is another Victorian survivor with
much of its of its original external features still intact. Opened c.1850, it was
originally known as The Manchester Tavern before it gained its latter name,
named in reference to the strategic hillock during siege of Sevastopol in the
Crimea War. Also owned by Whitbread, the pub was described as a spacious
building with snugs; with slot machines, a pool table; and a upright piano
often in heavy usage, live music from local bands was regular fixture. It was situated
near the weekly market on nearby Queen’s Crescent and the pub opened at 7:30am
every Thursday and Saturday to serve the market traders. During the early
1980’s, the area was noted by CAMRA as having a poor representation of real ale
outlets, although by April 1984 this situation had changed and several pubs in
the area were now serving cask, including this pub, The Carlton Tavern, Newberry
Arms, and the Mother Shipton. Alas the Mamelon closed in 2008 and four years
later planning approval was given to covert the building into maisonettes. Today,
only The Grafton is still in business, a former Charrington’s house it
opened in 1869. The pub became rundown over time, though it was renovated in
2012 when new licensees took over, it has since won Pub of the Season Award for
Summer 2013, and is considered one of the best real ale pubs in the area.
[1]
Kentish Town Past (1997) by John Richardson, Historical Publications LTD.
[2] In
Kentish Town, the Rolles Bros. ran The Jolly Anglers, The Wolsey Tavern, The
Falkland Arms and The Bull & Gate. Only the latter pub is still in
business, and is currently owned by Youngs.
[3]
Other locally listed pubs in the area include
[4] Camden
Council describe the building in their listings as: “Fully rendered, with
applied pilasters between windows at shopfront level, architraves with
geometric corner motif and simple projecting cornice. Canted corner with window
at first floor and blind window at second floor.”
[5]
During its brief incarnation as the Flowerpot, it hosted up and coming talent
including The Vaccines, Mumford & Sons and Laura Marling, before their
lease expired in 2010.
[6] Coincidentally
the Watney, Coombe & Reid logo features the image of the stag as included
in the coat of arms, as the brewery was located in Mortlake.
