Saturday, March 07, 2026

Slain by Giants

Last month I heard about the dreadful news that Sharp’s Brewery will be closing their site in Rock, Cornwall at the end of this year. Since 2011, the brewery has been run by Canadian brewing giant Molson Coors, their excuse was down to economics as Simon Kerry (managing director at Molson Coors UK) recently explained “we have invested significantly in the site and Sharp’s brands over that time and every step has been taken to try and avoid this outcome. However, the site is no longer financially sustainable as part of our national network.” [1] According to the megabrewer this move will lead cost savings and efficiencies imperative to its long term growth, yet in this process this will potentially lead to redundancies of up to 50 workers so understandably there has been outcry in the region, with the local MP Ben Maguire (North Cornwall) criticising Molson’s Coors decision to move production out of Cornwall whilst CAMRA has been on the warpath stating yet another part of Britain’s brewing heritage has been slain by a global brewing giant. Roger Protz noted “the history, the heritage and the popularity of cask is lost on Carlsberg, Heineken and Molson Coors. Their aim is a simple one: to make the same liquid in every market where they operate and to give it a long shelf life, aided by filtration, pasteurisation and a heavy dose of carbon dioxide.” [2] Protz also points out a notable decline in the quality of Sharp’s flagship product Doom Bar (4%) as being synonymous of Molson’s Coors meddling with the brewery, where they tinkered with its recipe, used cheaper hops and malt and dispensed the beers to pubs as soon as it left the fermenters, in 2015 they even admitted to producing the bottled version at their facilities in Burton making a mockery of it claim as a Cornish Beer. In recent years, Molson’s Coors have been responsible in playing their part in destroying Britain’s brewing heritage, in 2020 they closed Burtonwood Brewery with the loss of 25 jobs, at the time they claimed Burtonwood only produced one percent of their volume, Adam Everett noted “Molson Coors says that the move will 'help to drive efficiencies' within the business, with production set to be transferred to other sites in the UK.” [3] They also ceased production of Worthington’s White Shield (5.6%), and last year closed the National Brewery Centre, evicting its tenants the Heritage Brewing Co. in the process. There is nothing unique about the closure of Sharp's brewery site, this incident seems rather familiar as we’ve been here before, over the past few decades there have been numerous high-profile examples of megabrewers closing popular regional breweries, with each closure receiving a wall of outrage from the usual parties. While the instances of larger breweries taken over smaller competitors and closing their sites have been occurring since the 19th century, with the rise of the global megabrewers in the past 30 years, the spate of takeovers and shutdowns have become more ruthless, radically overhauling and diminishing established beer brands, destroying breweries who have operated from several decades to a century or more, transferring brands to mega-plants and reducing the choice for the consumer, all for the cause of efficiency.


 

At the turn of this century Scottish & Newcastle was the largest brewer in the UK with a vast number of breweries both domestically and abroad in its portfolio. Over the previous 20 years they rolled their tanks across the UK’s brewery scene, acquiring the likes of Home Brewery (1986), Theakston (1987) and Courage (1995). In 2004 their announced the closure of their long running Edinburgh and Newcastle sites and transferred production to a brewery in Dunston following their buyout of Northern Clubs Federation Brewery. Around this time, they also took a 30% share in Caledonian Brewery in Edinburgh while allowing the brewers to remain independent. Four years later they brought out the remaining shares and took over the company. To surmise the quote “there’s always a bigger fish”, later in 2008 S&N were taken over the global brewing giants Heineken and Carlsberg for £7.8m, the name promptly disappeared the following year and became Heineken UK. In 2010, the Dunston site was closed and in 2022 Heineken announced the closure of the former Caledonian Brewery site. It was the last major brewery in Edinburgh to close, Matt Callan from Heineken UK stated “the sad fact is, its Victorian infrastructure means significant inefficiencies and costs, particularly as it is operating below capacity. To modernise the brewery, and to meet our own sustainability commitments, would require considerable ongoing investment, which would make operating the brewery economically unviable.” [4] They made an agreement with Belhaven (via Greene King) to transfer production of their brands (Deuchars, Coast to Coast, and Maltsmiths) to their site in Dunbar, while the site in Edinburgh closed and was later sold to Artisan Real Estate for conversion into residential flats. Boddington’s Brewery in Strangeways, Manchester, was the biggest brewer in the area, established in 1778, by its height in the mid 1980’s the brewery employed 280 people, produced 500,000 barrels per year and operated 580 tied houses, their legendary Boddington’s Bitter (4%) was one of the highest selling beers in UK and was even exported abroad, the beer was affectionately known as ‘the cream of Manchester’. In 1989 their independence came to an end when Ewart Boddington sold the brewery and its brands to Whitbread for £50.7 million. Under Whitbread’s watch, production and sales increased and the canned version of Boddies became the highest selling bitter in the UK thanks to extensive marketing, meanwhile the entire pub estate was sold to Greenalls, later that decade they acquired the likes of Flowers (1998) where they transferred production to Strangeways and Bass (2000) respectively. The same year Whitbread was absorbed into Belgian brewer Interbrew, by this time sales of Boddies were falling due changes in the market, the smell of closure was in the air when the kegging facility of the site was closed in February 2003 with the loss of 50 jobs. In August they attempted to revive its fortunes with a new cask variant measuring 4.1%, which Melanie Godesell noted “the activity saw extra malt added to the Boddingtons recipe and overhauled beer pumps installed in the on-trade.” [5] This initiative failed to gather enough demand and the writing was on the wall. The following year, Interbrew merged with AmBev to become InBev, and later that September they announced the closure of the Strangeways site, citing they had too many breweries in their portfolio and had to make reductions, Phillip Malpress (InBev corporate affairs director) stated "this building was built in the Victorian times and it is an old historic brewery but it was a victim of its age. It is an inflexible brewery - it can't bottle or can and customer needs have moved on.” [6] A spirited campaign was engineered by the brewery workers, supported by their union The Transport and General Workers along with Manchester City Council, local MP’s, regional MEP representatives and Corrie actor Bruce Jones, a website called ‘Save the Cream’ was also established, which received 150,000 hits from 43 countries. Despite this, closure plans continued unabated and the last brew was produced on 4th February 2005. A T&G spokesman mournfully responded to Manchester Evening News "today sees 227 years of brewing history being poured down the drain by a huge corporation which is only interested in creating massive profits by mass producing beer.” [6] The closure resulted in 36 redundancies while a further 19 workers were transferred to other sites, production was moved to InBev’s sites in Samlesbury and Magor. Boddies continues to be produced albeit at other sites, and last year the cask version was revived by J.W. Lees, returning production back to Manchester.


 

Since establishing in 1978, Halewood has become the UK's largest independent artisanal spirits distiller with operations in six other countries outside the UK. A decade ago, they started turning their attention towards the brewing industry, in 2017 they took majority shares in Sadler’s Brewery in Lye, and Hawkshead Brewery in Staveley respectively. While the breweries were allowed to continue operating independently, in late 2019 they announced the closure of the Sadler’s Brewery site, transferring operations to Hawkshead, resulting the redundancy of 26 workers. The local CAMRA branch's brewery liaison officer, Steve Pratt, said: “this is a devastating blow, not only for the hard-working employees at the Brewhouse and taproom at Lye, but also for the traditions and history of local brewing in the Black Country.” [7] In a cruel twist of fate, in 2024, Halewood closed down Hawkshead’s site in Staveley, citing that the site was proving unproductive, the manually operated equipment was inefficient for increased production and the increased car-park charges were instrumental in reducing footfall at the beer hall. Mill Yard owner David Brockbank refuted suggestions that local car parking charges were due a drop in trade, he attempted to set up a community brewery and beer hall on the Staveley site producing craft beers, run as a co-operative, yet Halewood declined his requests. The closure resulted in 12 redundancies, Tim Farron MP (Westmoreland and Lonsdale) stated he was appalled by Halewood’s poor treatment of the staff and deserting the local community. All operations were ultimately transferred to Halewood’s site in Flookburgh. In February 2018, Fuller’s brought out Dark Star Brewery in Partridge Green for an undisclosed sum, with the promise of maintaining and investing in their site, increasing sales of its brands, such as Hophead (3.4%), APA (4.7%), Dark Star Original (5%) and Revelation (5.7%), and allowing to them to continue operating independently. Meanwhile, in May 2015, Meantime Brewery in Greenwich was brought out by SAB Miller and a year later SAB Miller was taken over by AB InBev who sold Meantime to Japanese megabrewers Asahi who own breweries across Europe, the US and Australia. In 2019, Asahi extended its tentacles towards Fuller’s for 250m, at the time Fuller’s claimed the takeover would allow them to invest in new markets and increase sales of its beer brands both nationally and internationally. At the deal was heavily criticised by beer fans and industry figures citing an end of an era in British brewing, bringing rise to the term ‘megabrew’ where large breweries are brought by even larger companies. Gillian Hough, a member of CAMRA’s national executive and current vice chair noted at the time “years of consolidation of large parts of the brewing industry into the hands of a few global players has been to the detriment of our brewing heritage. This worrying trend of further domination of global brewers is putting choice at the bar and the diversity of British beer at risk - and needs constant monitoring by the UK’s Competition authorities.” [8] Ultimately her fears were realised, in November 2022 Asahi announced the closure of Dark Star site in Partridge Green due to the brewery operating at ‘significantly below capacity’, they moved production of its entire portfolio over to Meantime Brewery in Greenwich. Two years later in March 2024, they drew their scythe again when they announced the closure of Meantime’s site in Greenwich, moving production of both Maritime and Dark Star to Fuller’s site in Chiswick. Asahi argued that by moving all their local beer brands to one site in Chiswick it would be mutually beneficial to the company. The move resulted in some redundancies, while some staff members were offered alternative employment, including posts at Fuller’s site. Daryl Chamberlain notes the closure of the Greenwich site is likely due to local redevelopment projects, stating “Meantime’s move will prompt speculation about the fate of the brewery site — while there has been a lot of new housing in the area, the land could also be attractive for logistics companies with the Silvertown Tunnel opening next year.” [9] In other words, the closure of the brewery site in Greenwich followed the usual trope of making a ‘fast buck’, a common business initiative among the mega-brewers.


 

Of all the global brewing giants with the most scalps in recent years, this accolade has to go to Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company (now Carlsberg Britvic) which formed in 2020 following a merger between Marstons Brewery and global mega-brewer Carlsberg. In the last few years, they have closed down the likes of Wychwood, Ringwood, Banks’s and Jennings, on each occasion they spluttered the familiar excuses of problems with efficiency and the lowering of demand in cask ale. This all links back to Marstons, in 1999 the brewery became part of the Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries amalgamation along with Banks’s, Thompson, Evershed and Mansfield Breweries respectively. In 2005, W&C acquired Jenning’s Brewery in Cockermouth, reaction at the time was frosty as locals warned that W&C were only interested in acquiring Jennings' sizeable estate of 100 plus pubs around the county. Later the same year, Marston’s took over production under licence from Interbrew of Draught Bass, two years later they officially changed the name of W&C to Marstons PLC. Shortly after they acquired Ringwood Brewery based in Hampshire for £19.2million, the acquisition also included their collection of seven pubs and Château de Fayolle, a wine estate in the Bergerac region and its vineyard. This was on the promise of keeping the brewery open and maintaining its brands. People were critical of the move, CAMRA expressed fears this would create a domino effect of further consolidation of larger brewers consolidating smaller competitors, reducing the variety in consumer choice. Mike Benner, CAMRA’s then chief executive wrote “as one of the larger companies buys a brewery and expands its estate, competitors start hunting for their next purchase to keep up. Our fear is that an increasing number of smaller breweries will be lost if this race continues and consumer choice will suffer as a result.”[10] Predictably, in the ensuing years commentators claimed the quality of their beers plummeted while the personal touch disappeared as the brewery became more corporate. Meanwhile, back at Wychwood, during the Nineties under Ian Rogers’ watch they managed to establish a pub chain of 33 pubs and propel their Hobgoblin brand to becoming one of the highest selling bottled beers in the UK thanks to some ingenious marketing tactics. The rot set in 2001 when Rogers decided to sell the brewery for £2.25 million and the pub chain for £9m, the brewery was sold to Refresh UK while the pub estate was acquired by Balaclava. In 2008, Refresh was brought out by Marstons, who by this time were fast establishing their business empire. Multi-national megabrewer Carlsberg first drew its attention towards the British brewing industry back in 1993 when Allied Lyons (who ran Tetley in Leeds) sold a 50% stake to Carlsberg, and four years later Carlsberg fully took over the company. In 2008 they announced the closure of brewery site and planned to transfer production to Banks’s in Wolverhampton. By December 2010, production of their cask brands moved to Wolverhampton while their keg products were transferred to Northampton and Hartlepool respectively. Carlsberg cited that due to tough market conditions they could no longer justify running several breweries in the UK, so the closure was necessitated in order to maximise efficiency. There was a public outcry towards this, pub landlord Dave ‘Tetley Dave’ Parker of The Shoulder of Mutton quoted at the time “if you close Tetley, you might as well close Leeds”. [11] Gary Lumby (president of Leeds Chamber of Commerce) said the closure would adversely affect the local jobs market while CAMRA criticised the megabrewer for failing to promote the Tetley brand sufficiently, Bob Stukins (CAMRA vice chairman) argued “while we recognise the enormous challenges facing the brewing industry at present, I think this is a short-sighted decision. Recent statistics clearly show that real ale is performing better than other beer styles in a declining market.” [12] The final brew at Leeds took place on the 22nd February 2011 and 170 workers were made redundant; The closure of the brewery was an end of an era for the local area, and in retrospect a warning from history given the spate of high-profile brewery closures that would follow in recent years.


 

Following their merger with Marstons PLC in May 2020 for the considerable sum of £780m, CMBC’s ‘reign of terror’ began in earnest. In September 2022, CMBC announced the closure of Jennings site in Cockermouth with the intention of transferring operations to their site in Burton. The reason for its closure CMBC claimed was due to the site operating below capacity for some time and a significant decline in volumes brought on by the pandemic. Nik Antona (then CAMRA chairman) bluntly riposted that it a devastating blow to the area’s brewing heritage, though hardly surprising given Carlsberg had a reputation of getting rid of local breweries, noting “unfortunately, Marston’s are now under the control of Carlsberg to a certain extent… and maybe they’re looking at it with a more financial view. Accountants are brewing, if you like, rather than the brewers.” [13] The closures of local breweries were becoming an increasingly frequent event as the megabrewer was seeking to cut corners in the market, the following year CMBC announced the closure of Wychwood’s Brewery in Witney due to a decline in demand in cask beer. Following a break clause with the landlord who owned the site, they intended on moving production of Wychwood’s brands Hobgoblin, Firecatcher and Dry Neck beers at CMBC’s other sites, so they could consolidate their network and improve efficiency and productivity for supporting ongoing investment. CAMRA Oxfordshire chair Tony Goulding stated “it's an absolute tragedy but we've been waiting for it. They've even been brewing other ales in Witney and transporting them to their other sites. They are not worried about craft ales. Big is beautiful. It's cheaper to produce mass produced ales never mind the quality. It's nothing short of a tragedy.” [14] The brewery closed in November that year, bringing an end of 40 years of production in the area. David Jesudason describes this decision as “it does feel like the end of the road for a brand with such a storied history—an underdog that managed to become one of the most popular beers in the U.K., not to mention a small but one-time successful pub chain. For Hobgoblin there will be no blaze of glory, just a slow fade to black.” [15] As the year drew to a close, the following month CMBC announced they would soon be closing the Ringwood Brewery site, transferring production to other parts of their network, cask versions of Forty Niner (4.9%), Razorback (3.8%) and Boondoogle (4.2%) were moved to Banks’s Brewery while Old Thumper (5.6%) and bottled production would continue at Burton. Paul Davies (CEO of CMBC) noted “having, over the last six months, been unable to secure a sale of our Ringwood Brewery operation in Hampshire, we have made the difficult decision to announce our intention to close the site. Given its limited space and residential location, the expansion and improvements required for the site to be competitive would be challenging and extremely costly.” [16] The brewery closed the following year with the loss of ten jobs and the site was later sold to Pennyfarthing Homes who plan to convert the site into residential properties. This seemed a bittersweet ending for a brewery established in 1979 by craft beer pioneer Peter Austin who set up the business in order to challenge the monopoly of the Big Six breweries, only for it to be engulfed and devoured by its successors. Meanwhile CMBC’s filleting of the British brewing industry continued in earnest when they announced in November 2024 the impending closure of Banks’s Brewery in Wolverhampton the following Summer after 150 years of operation. The decision was apparently due to current climate for cask ale and the loss of the contract to brew and distribute Mahou’s San Miguel through CMBC, which in turn radically affected their network, forcing them to consolidate operations towards their site in Burton. The new Mayor for West Midlands, Richard Parker called for an urgent summit meeting with CMBC to discuss closure and loss of jobs in a bid to save the brewery, while newly appointed MP, Warwinder Juss (Wolverhampton West) mentioned the brewery’s closure in her maiden speech at the House of Commons quoting it would be a massive blow to the area’s heritage. CAMRA were also manoeuvres, its recently elected chairman Ash Corbett Collins stated “this is devastating but predictable news from CMBC. Following the buyout of CMBC by Carlsberg — essentially turning Marston’s brewing business into a globally owned brand — we expected news like this sooner rather than later.” [17] Banks’s closed shortly after producing their final brew at the end of August last year, bringing an end to the brewing industry in the local area.

 


In the spate of brewing closures engineered by global megabrewers, particularly in the last few years, it seems that we have now become accustomed to the idea, while being fed the usual spin of the changes to the cask ale market, instability brought on by the cost-of-living crisis, the drive to improve efficiency and consolidate production at mega brewing plants in areas like Burton. The so-called decline in cask ale has also been thrown in disrepute since regional brewers including Timothy Taylor, JW Lees and St. Austell’s has seen cask sales booming in the past few years. Roger Protz summed this up “the difference between regional brewers and Carlsberg is that the regionals have a passion and commitment to ale and they busily promote their beers. The Danish giant on the other hand has no interest in the style, cask beer in particular with its short shelf life, and does little or nothing to advertise them.” [18] For years we have been warned about the detrimental effects of the global megabrewers on the UK brewing industry and its only getting worse, yet little seems to be done to stem the flow of blood, even CAMRA in all its bluster has failed to promote and engineer legislation that would protect regional independent brewers from being pillaged and destroyed by multi-national brewing conglomerates. Amelia Wallace Jones stated last year “in May, the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) warned that rising costs and intense competition from global brewing giants continue to put mounting pressure on independent breweries.” [19] So, the drive to protect our industry is more needed than ever before. Yet, among the ruins there have been new shoots of life for the brewing industry, in the case of Jennings after their site in Cockermouth was closed, it was put on the market by TSR, who insinuated the idea that the site would be suitable for continuing as a commercial brewery. After much protracted wrangling, in February 2025 it was announced that the site was purchased by Kurt and Rebecca Canfield for an undisclosed sum, they subsequently brought back the brands, trademarks and recipes from CMBC (now Carlsberg Britivic) and set about restoring the site in time for it’s reopening later that summer. The brewery reopened to a rousing spectacle at their Black Ram event held on 3rd July 2025, 160 people were in attendance along with former staff members. Under the egis of Chris France (MD) and Buster Grant (Head Brewer) together with a small team, they have revived many of its once iconic beers including Sneck Lifter (5.1%) and Cocker Hoop (4.6%). Ash Corbett-Collins summed up the situation “global companies should learn from Carlsberg’s mistakes. Consumers want to see their favourite local beers on the bar at pubs, clubs and taprooms across the country.” [19] Meanwhile over in Wolverhampton, a few months ago it was announced that Springbanks Brewery is in the process of establishing a brewery in the area from a base in Lincoln Street. Laura Hadland noted “the brewery came into being after the news of the impending closure of Banks’s Brewery in Wolverhampton broke early in 2025. Director Peter Atwal decided that he wanted to preserve his hometown’s proud brewing tradition by starting a brewery of his own and also building a collection of local breweriania and oral histories for display in the Lincoln Street building.” [20] The brewery has utilized a Burton union set donated by Epochal of Glasgow which folded in 2024, and they hope to fill void left by the demise of Banks’s and Springfield Brewery (which closed in 1991) and restore the brewing industry back to Wolverhampton later this year.


List of References

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Saturday, February 28, 2026

Beer Review: St. Peter's India Pale Ale

Name: India Pale Ale

ABV: 5.5%

Brewery: St Peter's

Style: English IPA

Location: Bungay, Suffolk


Aroma: Hints of figs and plums and complimented by a treacle toffee like note, counterbalanced by lacings of oak, sherry and bittering hops that assault the senses.


Colour: Dark orangey gold with a one finger ivory coloured head. 


Taste: A pronounced bitterness is beset with a toffeeish background with hints of vanilla thrown in, the leads off to grassy hops that boast a whisp of grapefruit and lychee. The residual effect is sherry like with a strong warming note that awakens the tastebuds. Mouthfeel is smooth and cloying, if not a little chewy.


Verdict: A classic old school IPA, with none of that tropical citrussy faff. Hops and malt compliment each other to make a balanced flavour profile that is full of character from bittersweet hops to toffee, almost syruppy quality of the malt bill. Nothing is taken lightly with this strong performer.


Rating: 8/10 




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Sunday, February 22, 2026

A Tale of Two Railway Pubs

The area of New Barnet is one of many commuter towns built in London during the rapid expansion of the railway network in the mid-19th century. The area was originally part of the Lyonsdown Estate, when the GNR (Great Northern Railway) approached them with intention of buying some fields to lay their railway line through the area, they were forced to buy up the whole estate. They subsequently sold it to the British Land Company shortly after the opening of Barnet Station in 1850. The station was meant to serve the town of Chipping Barnet, however it was over 1½ miles. The developers were buoyed in constructing roads (initially Lyonsdown Road and Station Road) and subsequently residential side streets and housing. This became an attractive investment from homeowners hoping to escape from the city, and by the late 19th century, the area became one of the most densely populated parts of East Barnet. In order to cash in on this new population boom, a number of pubs were constructed to serve the local population, a number survive to this day, including The Railway Tavern, The Railway Bell, The Builders Arms, and The Lord Kitchener. When the station was built, a goods yard was also constructed. In order to cater for the railway workers, two pubs were built either-side of the rail bridge. Unusually both pubs have Railway in the title which in unique in itself, they embody the rapid development of ‘railway’ pubs during this period, where across the country breweries with sizeable estates sought to capitalise on the railway boom by building their pubs near stations. While most towns generally have one pub near a station, New Barnet has two. This is a result of the intense competition of large breweries Charrington’s and Thomas Clutterbuck & Co. who acquired lucrative plots of land located near the station, establishing within the space of a decade following the opening of the station. Rather surprisingly both pubs continue to operate till this day, so I decided to visit both pubs and check out this curious phenomenon.

 

THE RAILWAY TAVERN

Located on the eastern side of the railway bridge on 3 East Barnet Road, it was constructed in 1862. It was formerly a Charrington pub, at one time the brewers were one of the largest in London with a sizeable estate across London and the home counties. The pub has since passed through a series of owners and is currently a Wells & Co pub. A compact-corner pub, it was built after the side roads were constructed, the exterior is a simple two-storey asymmetrical arrangement with a row of identical sash windows on the top floor separated by pilasters, and two bay windows on the ground floor with lattice adornments and some stained-glass features. The hanging sign has a picture of steam locomotive, in keeping with its railway links. The exterior is largely unchanged since Victorian times, though the entrances into the former public bar area have since been bricked over. The interior retains many of its original Victorian features, centred around a bar replete in dark oak with fielding panelling and distinct sloping corners, surrounded by stools. Some of the original stone tiling is present near the bar, interspersed with more contemporary slatted wooden flooring. The long bar counter is a throwback to its days when the pub was divided into multiple serving areas, the north face of the bar still has its original gantry that looms over the pump clips. The fireplace adjacent to the bar is also an original feature. The abundance of seating in this section of the pub, implies it would have served the saloon bar, while towards the public bar was located towards the rear, the lack of seating and tables in this area is a throwback to this. The walls are combination of fielded panelling below window height and plain walls painted in Salmon and Cream. Going towards the rear of the bar, the walls are replete in fielded panelling which suggests a later 20th century addition. While there is table seating towards the entrance, most of the seating around bar consists of stalls and high back chair set against oak beer barrels repurposed as tables. This is broken up by charming looking snug adjacent to the bar, yet most of the dining seat is located at the rear of the building. A room at the back is a more recent addition, built to accommodate extra dining seating and functions. There is also an extensive beer garden, though part of it has sheltered seating near the rear entrance. The pub is in very essence a sport bar, with sports themed paraphernalia covering nearly every inch of the vicinity from football team flags on the ceiling to walls replete with signed shirts, framed photos of various rugby, football, horse racing and golf clubs, with some fascinating curious in between including a Guinness sign featuring a Toucan balancing two pints on its beak while holding a football, an illustrated tribute to the iconic managers and players of Tottenham Hotspur and a photo of the pub’s sponsored golf team based in west Ireland. The Irish theme is predominant in this pub from its heavy use of Guinness merchandise, flags and its collection of Irish sporting memorabilia. While the menu boasts a selection of traditional pub fare from a wide range of sandwiches, jacket potatoes, roasts, salads and contemporary flourishes like serving platters. The are two bars at adjacent sides of the counter, with north featuring three handpumps for cask ale, though only two were available on my visit. In essence despite it being a traditional sports bar, the pub exudes a cosy and homely, community atmosphere and on a quiet afternoon it is a great place to hide away from the bustling streets.



THE RAILWAY BELL

Located the other side of the rail bridge at No. 13 East Barnet Road, the pub was built shortly after the construction of the nearby station as was originally commissioned by Thomas Clutterbuck & Co, a Stanmore based brewery that owned a vast number of pubs around Middlesex and Hertfordshire around this time. In 1990 it was acquired by JD Wetherspoons, which at the time was a rather unusual acquisition by the pub chain who normally used to buying out former commercial shop premisses. In the summer of 2013, over a two-month period the pub was extensively renovated, at the cost of £1million with a large conservatory added at the rear to cater for dining, an open plan kitchen, an expanded garden with decking and new furniture, split into smoking and non-smoking areas respectively. This led to the removal of the car-park to facilitate the extension of a larger garden area. The exterior maintains much of its original Victorian features, featuring an asymmetrical set of lattice bay windows, interspersed with a double pair of doors which would have led into the saloon and public bars originally, with a pair of brass Victorian lanterns hanging above each door. The upper floors continue the asymmetrical setup with rows of sash windows, while the hanging sign features a cut out of locomotive bell. There is an extension to the left side, while on the right side there is a covered gated entrance leading to the pub garden, which in times gone by once housed a barn. The interior is split into three identifiable sections, the former public bar is now devoted to rows of dining tables arranged to resemble an airport bar. On the adjacent side, the saloon area has over a dozen sets of high chairs and tables, interspersed with the odd slot machine or two. This section of the pub is clearly devoted to drinkers, though dining options are available across all tables. Tartan floor designs give this section a homely appearance, whilst the modern light fittings feel rather out of place. In keeping with its railway links there are numerous paintings and photos of steam locomotives on the wall, while a more recent addition features a picture of a locomotive that displays a detailed step by step guide to the brewing process represented by different platforms. There is little trace of the pub’s original features at any point in the interior, even the bar has been covered up with modern matchboard panelling that wouldn’t look out of place in a sauna. A brass rail surrounds a polished countertop, while pillars are interspersed along various points along the counter, supporting a gantry that features sets of circles that evoke the wheel lineup of a steam locomotive, which I found to be a neat touch to its railway links. Towards the rear of the bar is the expansive conservatory with scores of dining tables devoted to restaurant service, although the addition of this added seating area doubled the pub’s turnovers, it somewhat takes away from the traditional pub like feel that the place once had. Unlike the pub down the road, this pub was heaving with customers, with virtually every table and stool taken up, most of the tables were occupied by families who were out for lunch, which is understandable given that Wetherspoons is generally a family orientated enterprise. The pub’s devotion to real ale makes up for its shortcomings, featuring an impressive number of cask ales, up to 10 at the time of counting which surely must be a record for the Barnet area. Indeed, a few years ago back in 2022 the pub appeared in the CAMRA beer guide. While three of the ales were Spoons regulars, the other 7 were from various London microbreweries as on the day of my visit the pub was hosting a London themed beer festival. Since it was only a flying visit, I only had time to sample two halves, I sampled some Biscuit Town Porter (5%) – Southwark Brewing, and Wit’s End (4.7%) – Sambrook’s, both equally scrummy beers bursting with flavour and quality, highlighting the very best qualities of their respective beer styles.





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Saturday, February 14, 2026

Beer Review: Rebellion Winter Royal

Name: Winter Royal

ABV: 5.4%

Brewery: Rebellion

Location: Marlow, Bucks

Style: Winter Ale


Aromas: Cherries, plums, treacle and some sherry notes dominates, along with a whisp of roasted malt.


Colour: Deep reddish brown with a one finger cream coloured head,


Taste: A rush of hedgerow fruits are immedietely apparent, followed by a gentle toffee like sweetness. Then comes the roasted malt that give its robust bitter undertones that remind you of its strength. This is rounded off with a pleasing warmth that brings things together. The mouthfeel is creamy and cloying.


Verdict: A rather quaffable strong ale that is full of flavour, rich fruity elements mingle with roasted malt to create a glorious concoction. This is a classic example of moreish Winter Ale that leaves a smile on your face. 


Rating: 9/10




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Friday, February 06, 2026

Starstruck Pubs

Hollywood is well known for its slew of mansions once owned by stars of the silver screen, could the same be insinuated with London’s flock of pubs once regularly populated by notable luminaries. Although most of these pubs tend to be concentrated around central London, particularly near the West End theatres, there are some instances of pubs in the outskirts that have hosted various notables from different walks of life over the years. Some individuals like Dylan Thomas, Samuel Peyps, George Orwell, Peter O’Toole and Charles Dickens even have connections with a number of pubs in London; these pubs must surely be as noteworthy as any Hollywood mansion?

 

The Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese in Fleet Street has often been dubbed the literary pub, attracting the likes of Oscar Wilde, W.B. Yeats, Mark Twain, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Alfred Tennyson, George Orwell, P.G. Woodhouse, Ezra Pound, G.K. Chesterton and Dr. Samuel Johnson. Dickens praised the place as having “a good plain meal with good wine,” while Wodehouse preferred it over private members clubs since it had a better clientele. The pub was also location for the Rhymers Club, a group of London-based poets, founded in 1890 by W. B. Yeats and Ernest Rhys. Other noteworthy customers included Princess Margaret, Voltaire and Winston Churchill.Over 40 years later, the Lamb in Bloomsbury was a popular haunt for the Bloomsbury Group, while in earlier times Dickens was said to frequent the place when he lived in nearby Doughty Street. Ted Hughes was also a regular, and during the early stages of their relationship, he met with Sylvia Plath on several occasions. Another pub with literary connections is The Fitzroy Tavern in Fitzrovia, which was a regular haunt for including Dylan Thomas, Augustus John, Michael Bentine, Virginia Woolf, George Bernard Shaw and Jacob Epstein. Thomas would often write poems on the back of beermats and hand them to lady customers, a prominent alcoholic this place was among a vast number of pubs he regularly visited in London, that included The George where he mingled with his BBC colleagues, The Wheatsheaf which also was a haunt for his contemporary George Orwell and The French House in Soho where he once left the manuscript for Under Milk Wood, it was also frequented by the likes of Francis Bacon, David Bowie and Lucien Freud. During WW2 it was the unofficial headquarters of the Free French; Charles de Gaulle regularly drank here and within this building wrote his iconic speech rallying the French to action. Another Soho pub of note is The Coach & Horses, it was popular with artists like Bacon and Freud, while Frank Auerbach often accompanied writer Bruce Bernard to discuss about painting. On the entertainment front, Peter Cooke and Willie Rushton regularly ‘lunched’ here, Private Eye held their fortnightly meetings in the Chill Room upstairs and Peter O’ Toole was often seen in his later years. Their most notable customer was his friend and Spectator columnist Jeffrey Bernard who often resided here most of the day, so much so the place was dubbed ‘Jeff’s Office’. And, whenever the office needed his copy, they would directly ring the pub, since he was often there between visits to the Spectator’s offices.

 

Likewise, Richard Harris had a regular pub, The Coal Hole in the Strand during the years when he resided at the Savoy, he often sat in a chair behind the slot machines to avoid attention from the public and once remarked “I turned Hamlet down because it was going to take up too much of my drinking time.” A century earlier, this place was also a refuge for W.S. Gilbert (of Gilbert & Sullivan fame) who would often come here during opening nights to seek some Dutch courage after building himself up into a state of nervousness. Around the West End, there are a number of pubs that were popular with thespians, the most notable was The Salisbury, among it illustrious cast list included Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Peter O’Toole, Richard Harris, Oliver Reed, Terrance Stamp, Albert Finney, Robert Shaw, Kenneth Griffith, Sean Connery, Michael Caine and Marianne Faithfull to name a few. Its back alleyway linked onto a number of theatres, useful for quite a number of actors who had to rush off quicky for their curtain calls. Johnny Briggs (Mike Baldwin in Coronation Street) noted in his autobiography that he used to visit the pub with his actor friends Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Peter O’Toole and Richard Harris. He mentions several notable instances, such as when O’ Toole turned up in his costume after returning from filming for ‘Lawrance of Arabia’ (1962) where he yelled “I’m home for the desert dears!”, Briggs retorted “never mind the desert, have you got your bloody handbag so you can buy the beers?” On another occasion he recalled Burton berating Elizabeth Taylor for trying to order a Martini, when the pub had a strict policy on only serving beer, booming “look, woman, you’ll have a bloody pint or a bloody half-pint, so whaddya want?” Whenever the pub opened Harris was always first at the door, and often visited between curtain calls at nearby theatres. Such was his admiration for the place, following a successful run in ‘Henry IV’ at the Wyndham Theatre in 1990, Harris organised a celebratory party at the pub.

 

Going towards the outskirts of London, there are a slew of pubs popular with luminaries. Hampstead boasts a few worthy examples. The Holly Bush for instance was once popular with the likes of Dr. Samuel Johnson, who was often accompanied by his biographer and drinking buddy James Boswell. In more recent times actor Jude Law is reported to be a regular, as well as brother Noel and Liam Gallager (of Oasis) have drank here. The latter was thrown out of the pub one evening after arguing with the landlord over whether or not he paid his drinks. On the outskirts of the Heath, the Magdala Tavern has welcomed a host of luminaries over the years, thanks to info uncovered by Neil Titley in his book ‘Under Ken Wood’. During the early years of his career, Bob Hoskins regularly drank here while renting a room in nearby Parliament Hill, during the period when he worked at the Unity Theatre in Camden. Likewise, Peter Barkworth who lived in Flask Walk, regularly visited the pub. Richard Wymark was also a regular, his wife Olwyn always felt odd accompanying him, since she knew that he slept with every woman in the pub. His contemporary Peter Witsun-Jones also frequented the establishment, even after his death in 1974 his widow Sylvia continued to regularly visit the pub. Ronald Fraser, another local resident was a frequent visitor to Hampstead’s many watering holes, could be seen at The Mags (as it was nicknamed) during his regular pub crawls. Such was it connection to the acting industry, during pre-production on ‘Where Eagles Dare’ (1968) the casting director walked into the pub one evening and managed to recruit several actors for the production, Richard Burton, Patrick Wymark, William Squire, Peter Barkworth, and Derren Nesbit, who all happened to be in the pub that very evening, the film has been erroneously dubbed the Magdala film.[1] On the other side of the Heath, the Spaniards Inn has boasted a number of notable regulars, including highwayman Dick Turpin, the poet John Keats who lived at nearby Wentworth Place wrote his poem ‘An Ode to a Nightingale’ in the pub garden, his friend and fellow poet Lord Byron also frequented this establishment when journeying to and from London, often accompanied by his friends including Mary Shelley. Robert Louis Stephenson frequently visited and sometimes lodged here, as well as the artists William Hogarth, Joshua Reynolds and John Constable, whom subsequently featured the pub in his painting ‘Road to the Spaniards, Hampstead’ (1822) which shows view across Hampstead Heath along Spaniard Road. It was also visited by Bram Stoker, who mentions it in his seminal novel ‘Dracula’. The Flask in neighbouring Highgate was also popular with Keats and Byron, who often dropped by whilst visiting their friend Samuel Colleridge Taylor who resided in the house opposite. Hogarth often visited here, and once sketched a fight between two other customers as they fought with tankards. In more recent times, it was popular with the likes of local residents Karl Marx, Sid Vicious and George Michael.

 

While the Magdala has close links with the acting industry, the same could be said for The Hawley Arms in Camden with its links to the music industry. Formerly a bikers pub, in 2002 it was taken over by Ruth Mottram and Doug Charles-Ridler, who transformed the pub’s fortunes by installing a jukebox, organising their shows and establishing an upstairs bar and roof terrace. Word soon spread and it gradually became popular with the luminaries of the music industry at the time, among its regulars included members of the bands Razorlight, the Arctic Monkeys and Kaiser Chiefs. Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt from the Mighty Boosh also frequently visited, often taking part in after hours pub quizzes. Its most noteworthy regular was Amy Winehouse who lived in nearby Prowse Place, on some occasions she even helped out behind the bar, in order to soak in the atmosphere. Tim Burgess from the Charlatans described the place as being a cross between Camberwick Green and Stella Street. The Pineapple in Kentish Town also has an impressive roll call of customers over the years including Rufus Sewell, Jon Snow, Roger Lloyd-Pack, Ken Stott, Andrew Motion and former London mayor Ken Livingstone, when the pub was threatened with redevelopment in 2001, they supported the Save the Magdala campaign to reopen it as pub. In more recent times, our current PM Keir Starmer once quoted this place was his favourite place to drink since they do a very good pint, proving that pubs continue to be poplar even with our heads of government. Moreover, the Prospect of Whitby is another iconic local pub with a long list of famous customers, including Charles Dickens, Samuel Peyps, the artists JMW Turner and James McNeil Whistler who both painted views of the pub, and the explorer Sir Hugh Willoughby, who sailed from here in 1553 to seek the North-East Passage which ended in failure and death. A century later, Judge Jeffries often came here to watch executions over on nearby Execution Dock. More recently the likes of Judy Garland, Paul Newman, Princess Margaret, Richard Burton, Prince Rainier of Monaco and Frank Sinatra have been served here. Further along the Thames, the Dove in Hammersmith is noted for having the record for the smallest bar in the country (at 7 feet long), it also boasts a list of notables, including Grahame Greene, Alec Guinness, Ernest Hemmingway and William Morris who happened to live next door. Charles II reportedly wined and dined his mistress Nell Gwynne here, and James Thompson is said to have written the words for his poem ‘Rule Britannia’ here in 1740, later adapted to music by Thomas Arne. A later regular was Dylan Thomas, during the period when he lived in a flat in Manresa Road in nearby Chelsea. A nearer pub that Thomas frequented was The Phene, it was also popular with the likes of Michael Angelis, Nicholas Ball, Bill Rouke and ex-footballer George Best, whom would frequently order a white wine (his favourite tipple), such was his attachment to the place he even proposed to his 2nd wife here in 1995, and during a theatre tour, his close-friend and former Fulham associate Rodney Marsh who was often pick up Best from the pub before driving off to do a show.

 

There are some pubs in London that only have one famous customer of note, when Dylan Thomas lived on Milkwood Road, Herne Hill, he would often visit his local The Half Moon, especially on match days when he visited the London Velodrome to watch his rugby team London Welsh play. After each game, he could be seen joining the team’s players at the bar, engaging in conversation. Eight miles west in Wimbledon, the Dog & Fox situated by the common was often visited by local resident Oliver Reed. On one notable occasion he travelled to the pub on his horse Dougal. After seeing him looking forlorn in the stables, he went to the estate agents next door and offered to by a field for his horse, he subsequently brought Broom Hall where he lived for much of the 70’s. Moreover, he would often choose this place as the first stop on his infamous pub crawl known as ‘The Wimbledon 8’ which involved visiting all of the common’s eight existing pubs at the time.[2] The idea was to have a pint in each pub, which each site being within 15 minutes’ walk from one to another, although the most he ever managed was three. Meanwhile, when George Orwell was living in Canonbury between 1944-7, he often visited the Compton Arms, a cosy backstreet local. It’s charm and atmosphere clearly influenced Orwell to write his iconic 1946 essay ‘The Moon Under Water’ where he describes his ideal pub. Another writer of note who had his own ‘ideal pub’ was Barry Cryer. A comedian and prolific comedy writer working with the likes of Kenny Everett, The Two Ronnies, Bob Hope, Spike Milligan, Richard Pryor, Tommy Cooper, Jasper Carrott, George Burns, Stanley Baxter etc. When he lived in Hatch End, his favourite watering hole was The Moon & Sixpence, a branch of Wetherspoons which he visited since 2009. Cryer would often visit every weekend with his friends, he frequently signed photos and autographs for other customers, told jokes and stories from his illustrious career and in time got to know every regular in the pub, including the staff.[3] Despite having visited exclusive clubs like the Garrick over the years, he once quoted “I’ve been in to all these clubs because everyone assumes I’m a member. I much prefer my local Wetherspoons, The Moon and Sixpence in Hatch End. I’m the thinking woman’s lager lout.” Cryer passed away in January 2022, and later that year his widow Theresa unveiled a memorial mural at an event held at the pub, a permanent tribute highlighting Cryer’s life in words and photographs.

 

All over London there are a slew of pubs that were once popular with the great and the good, from literary pubs like Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese and Fitzroy Tavern to theatre-land hangouts like The Salisbury or icons of the music industry like The Hawley Arms. On the outskirts of town, there’s a number of pubs with roll-call of famous customers, Hampstead tops the list with pubs like The Spaniards Inn, The Holly Bush, The Duke of Hamilton and The Magdala, while the likes of The Prospect of Whitby, The Flask and The Phene are good challengers to its throne. There are some pubs that boast one famous customer as one of their biggest claims to fame, The Dog & Duck, The Half Moon and The Compton Arms are all noteworthy historic examples. In more recent times, The Moon & Sixpence has been added to this roster, even going to point of producing a tribute plaque to its most famous regular.[4] There a vast number of London Bus tours all over the centre town giving tourists the opportunity to get guided view of London’s landmarks, perhaps there should be one for London’s landmark pubs as well, that were formerly frequented by a number of famous luminaries, time will tell.



References

[1] Burton also frequented another Hampstead pub, The Duke of Hamilton, along with actor friends Peter O’ Toole and Oliver Reed.

[2] The pubs that featured in the Wimbledon 8, include the Dog & Fox, the Hand in Hand, Crooked Billet, Fox and Grapes, Rose and Crown, Firestables, Brewery Tap and Finch's. Only five are still in business today.

[3] Such was his iconic status at this pub, he once opened a beer festival that took place there. On another occasion, he turned on the town’s Christmas lights outside the pub.

[4] At the Wheatsheaf in Soho, there plaques near the entrance dedicated to both George Orwell and Dylan Thomas who frequently drank here.


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