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London Pubs Group
by Eric Martin
The London Pubs Group was first formed in 1992 with a gathering of CAMRA members who were both interested in historic pubs and concerned at the large number of interesting Victorian interiors that were being lost through mindless refurbishments. Our first organised pub crawl, or evaluation exercise, was around a notable selection of Knightsbridge/Pimlico public houses, which we later repeated as a social for volunteer staff at the Great British Beer Festival, at its first year at Olympia.
It was clear that saving pubs would be an important issue for CAMRA, as a unique part of the British way of life and the best place to drink real ale, and concern that the threats of closure and alterations should be challenged. The Pubs Group is a forum for branches to discuss pub preservation issues and initiatives to fight and save individual pubs when under threat. Forging links with brewers, licensing and planning authorities, we could all achieve a common goal in both promoting and developing the British pub. Through this we were also keen to draw up a list of pubs that are of such importance that they deserved national recognition and protection. This has since developed into the National Inventory which is now published in the Good Beer Guide each year and has been helped forward by Dr. Geoff Brandwood who has also been assessing pubs worthy of listed building status. It is clear that many pubs that we cherish have been altered to some extent, but some still retain their character with surviving areas and fixtures, which all add to our enjoyment and pleasure. Pubs with partitions, multi-rooms, including public bars, where different types of people are able to use them, hold a unique interest in the development of our pub stock and as such are becoming increasingly rare. Such pubs, by their very nature, can all too easily be destroyed once the modern designers and builders get their hands on them.
The Pubs Group is not about all things old and we have been keen to discuss the merits of new pub design and refurbishments. Here in London we have the largest number of new pubs opening in the country, so there is no shortage of examples. Most seem to be unimaginative concepts but it's clear that where a new building mixes good design with good ale, the interest generated can be rewarding. Personally, I really enjoyed the opening of the Porterhouse in Covent Garden, although I was not too sure about some of the beer! CAMRA with English Heritage now hold a Pub Design Award competition each year to reward such innovative and sensitive pub designs, including good conservation and refurbishment, which all adds to greater public and commercial awareness of the importance of public houses within our communities.
My personal view is that there is nothing to compare to drinking a good pint in a traditional pub. I have greatly enjoyed my visits to the Holly Bush in Hampstead, which is now justly receiving sensitive treatment, but there was a time not so long ago where we were fighting against the benefits of ripping out the interior. Go, see and enjoy.
The Pubs Group has recently been reformed and will now meet quarterly at the Harvey's Royal Oak pub, Tabard St., Borough SE1 with social pub crawls in between. We welcome CAMRA members interested in pub preservation, pub heritage or new design to our events, which are all advertised in London Drinker and What's Brewing.
Eric Martin
Reproduced from the Full Pint, Issue 13.
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