The Black Lion in Kilburn High Road is a pub much beloved by anyone who really values historic, over the top Victorian pubs. Despite its grandeur, over recent years successive lessees appear to have struggled to make a go of it and so, when the pub once again closed earlier this year, there was some concern. Fortunately, this worry seems to be unfounded as experienced pub owners, London Village Inns, now have the lease.
Set up by Martin and Diane Harley, London Village Inns have seven pubs, two associated boutique guest houses and an Indian restaurant. Martin said, “I worked for Belgo for a couple of year. It was a great learning curve but I decided I wanted to be my own boss.” Martin explained the history of the company, “My father bought the Rose & Crown in Stoke Newington in 1985. This ex-Truman’s pub dates from the 1930s and is Grade II* listed. I bought the pub from my father when my parents decided to move to Spain. But my first pub was the Wrestlers in Highgate, which I ran myself from 1997 to 2009; we now have managers to run it.”
The next pub was the Jolly Butchers, again in Stoke Newington. Martin observed, “It was known as the flying bottle when we acquired it. The pub was free from tie and so we put in real ale and imported beers from Belgium, Germany and the USA.” A diversion from the North London theme is the Crown & Anchor in Brixton. “It was not a pretty sight when we took it on in 2013. It had no roof. We went in with nine handpumps and it was busy from the start,“ said Martin, who went on to give the history of Booma, their Indian restaurant nearby. London Village Inns are no strangers to Indian food (the Jolly Butchers has an Indian menu) and Booma came about when the Chinese takeaway opposite the pub came up for sale. Martin added, “We love the idea of pairing Indian food with beer.” To quote from their website: ‘We will challenge your perceptions by pairing great beers of the world with the delicate and delightful spice flavours of India. Some of the world’s finest beers have notes of coriander, cardamom, ginger or star anise and we will pair these beautiful brews with aromatic Indian dishes’.
Another north London pub, the Westbury, near Turnpike Lane, was then added to the group a year later. Although the outside is large and traditional, this corner street pub has been modernised. Martin said, “It’s leased from Punch and we know that it wouldn’t have been a pub if we hadn’t taken it on. This pub adds value to the local community.” This was followed by the Brownswood in Green Lanes. As with the Rose & Crown, this pub has a number of boutique guest rooms, adding an additional income stream.
And that brings us on to the Grade II-listed Black Lion. LVI have invested in some gentle sprucing up, although the small ‘garden’ took almost five months to do. They replaced the handpumps and the pub now sells beer from the likes of Five Points, London Brewing Company and Vale; a welcome addition for an area not over adorned with real ale. Martin said, “We need to raise the awareness of the pub and to get it going. We are now open all day, every day and we are offering CAMRA members a 10% discount. We have sorted out the restaurant and will soon be opening the twelve guest rooms upstairs when we have finished the refurbishment”.
The company is run by Martin, backed up by a small central team of four along with Diane, who, he says, “does the admin and keeps an eye on me.” The group now has 100 employees.
Like many in the hospitality trade, Covid had a negative impact on the pub chain. “We had to furlough most of the staff but we only had to make one person redundant. We came out of Covid better than we expected. We think this is because our pubs are community pubs. We always say we are upmarket boozers with some food,” said Martin, who added, “We like to say we provide good beer and a warm welcome. We try and get the guys to acknowledge customers and say hello. Our managers are mine hosts. I am not a money man but I do know when people are doing a great job.”
And the next steps? Martin said, “I want to ensure the Black Lion is a success before thinking of the next move.” Let’s hope that London Village Inns are successful because a great pub like the Black Lion deserves good people. To find out more about any of the pubs, visit the company website.
Christine Cryne