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North London Branch Launches Its Latest Beer Guide
In March, the North London Branch of CAMRA launched a new guide to the pubs in
the N1 postal district. Although the surveying found many gems, the disappointment
was that the area had lost almost a third of its pubs in the last eight years. Of
these, 41% had been converted to residential use, 23% had been demolished and
11% changed to office or other commercial use. York Way, near King’s Cross, originally
had six pubs of which half sold a real ale. Now, half have been demolished and not one
offers a drop of the real stuff. Hoxton Street tells a similar story and both pubs in
Cloudesley Street have closed leaving the road totally publess. These areas are not
unique.
But there are still some great pubs left; from the backstreet locals such as the
Wenlock Arms and Prince Albert, to Grade II architectural gems such as the Island Queen
and Crown. The guide lists over 60 pubs selling real ale in the N1 postal district.
Thanks to support from the Suffolk brewers, Adnams, and the Wenlock Arms in Wenlock Road,
one of our joint Pubs of the Year for 2004, this pocket sized full colour guide has a
cover price of only £1.50.
In addition you can find the guide at the following pubs in the N1 area: The Barnsbury,
209 Liverpool Road, a pleasant bistro / wine bar with a strong line in real ales; The
Camden Head, 2 Camden Walk, a marvellous example of the Victorian pub; The
Compton Arms, 4 Compton Avenue, a wonderful cottage style pub in the heart of Islington;
The Eagle, 2 Shepherdess Walk, a refurbished pub with a good range of beers,
made famous in the nursery rhyme " Pop Goes the Weasel"; The Narrowboat, 119 Peters Street,
a recently refurbished pub nestled alongside Regent's Canal; The Prince Albert, 16 Elia
Street, a small street corner local beautifully restored, and the Beer Shop, 14 Pitfield
Street, where you can buy the produce of the local Pitfield brewery. The guide will also
be available at the Prince of Wales, 1 Sudeley Street, a branch Pub of the Season, which
will have undergone a minor refurbishment by the time you read this. The guide is also
available outside the N1 area at the Head of Steam, Euston Station Colonnade, NW1,
the Oakdale Arms in Hermitage Road, Harringay, N4 and at the Calthorpe Arms, 252 Gray’s
Inn Road, WC1, the second of our branch’s ‘Joint’ Pubs of the Year, where you can also
pick up a copy of our previous branch guide covering pubs in the WC1 (Holborn and
Bloomsbury) area.
Check out the branch web pages at
http://www.camranorthlondon.org.uk/guide.html
for more outlets as they are added.
The Guide may also be bought at London CAMRA beer festivals or CAMRA head office
(telephone: 01727 867201, web site: www.camra.org.uk).
Post and packaging is extra.
Reproduced from the Full Pint, Issue 30.
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