On Wednesday 16 April, CAMRA’s London Pubs Group visited five former Charrington pubs in the Hoxton and Islington areas. First was the William IV in Hoxton. It is locally listed, although Hackney’s database does not have a full description, simply saying ‘Georgian public house’. The pub has a surviving door lobby but the windows are now completely plain and modern. There are some remnants of wooden wall panelling, along with a single slender cast iron pillar. Outside, there remain faux-1930s Charrington ‘globe’ lights installed by Bass in the 1980s to give a ‘retro’ look. William IV, the ‘Sailor King’, ruled from 1830 to 1837. Dark Star Hophead, Fuller’s London Pride and Timothy Taylor Landlord are normally served here.
Pub number two was the Hanbury Pub & Townhouse (aka The Social, originally the Hanbury Arms) in Linton Street (N1 7DU). This is recognised by CAMRA as having a pub interior of local historic interest. A Neo-Georgian brick pub rebuilt in 1937 by architect S J Funnell, its internal divisions were sadly removed by Charles Wells in 1997/98 but the original three-part layout can still be defined. The left-hand door on Mary Street used to lead to an off-sales counter. Inside there is a good array of two-thirds-height panelling. The counters are original, as is the bar-back in the right-hand area, still with its Charrington’s lettering. The left-hand counter is strange in that it is brought forward yet this seems to have been the original arrangement. The bar-back behind it however has gone in favour of a kitchen area. The pub also features a still for distilling gin. The exterior sports a fine corner name panel with the famous Charrington’s ‘Toby’ emblem. Five Points Railway Porter; Salcombe Devon Amber and Salcombe Gold are normally served here.
The third stop was the Brave (formerly the Lord Clyde) in Essex Road. This inter-war pub is neither statutorily nor locally listed but retains remnants of its distinctive Charrington’s leaded windows, plus matchwood panelling on the walls and fielded panelling on the front of the bar counter, all now painted over in a pastel green colour. The iron window-winders are a pleasing survival. The pub’s original name honoured Sir Colin Campbell (1792 to 1863), later 1st Baron Clyde, and a veteran of the Peninsular War, the War of 1812 and the Crimean War (plus several other nowadays less-celebrated imperial campaigns). No real ale is served here.
The penultimate call was the Castle (known as the Pint Pot during the 1980s) in Pentonville Road. Like the Hanbury, this pub not listed but recognised by CAMRA as having a pub interior of local historic interest. A three-storey house built in 1789, the star feature of the pub is a fine Victorian bar-back fitting, dating from an 1890s refit. This has five cut-glass mirrored bays with the centre one having a prominent balustraded canopy above with detail picked out in gold. Above all five bays extends a deeply coved frieze, divided into six sections, painted gold and separated by seven narrow wooden strips with more detail picked out in gold. Most of the lower shelving has been lost but large pilasters painted dark brown remain. The single open-plan drinking area would once have been divided into three rooms, as evidenced by the two existing entrances and a third, in the Baron Street elevation, now blanked off. Internally, the drinking area is on two levels, the lower level incorporating the bar counter while the upper level continuation of the bar counter has an ‘L’-shaped glazed screen, separating the servery from the drinking area, creating a private area for the staff. Originally a partition separated the two bars and part of this remains attached to the outside wall, being floor-to-ceiling with glazing at the top and some detail painted in gold. A ‘Toby’ relief to the top left of the Pentonville Road door confirms that this was once a Charrington’s house. St Austell Proper Job and Young’s Special are normally served here.
The evening concluded in the Thornhill Arms in Caledonian Road. This c1850 pub is also recognised by CAMRA as having a pub interior of local historic interest. This is a three-storey Victorian pub of brick with the ground floor of brown glazed stone and two bright yellow columns on the corner. The fascia has raised ceramic lettering in brown on a cream background: ‘Ales’, ‘Charringtons’ and ‘& Stout’ on either side and ‘Thornhill Arms’ on the corner.
The interior retains an island bar counter dating from the late 19th century with console brackets and what looks like newer panels added to the front, which is now painted in gastro blue-grey. Thankfully the top has been spared the paint pot. All around the interior is a dado of Victorian dimpled reddish-brown tiling with rows of dark green and a narrow one of deep pink above. The island bar-back is all modern, being of planks of timber, and sadly distracts. Multiple doors indicate that the interior was originally partitioned. The pub takes its name from George Thornhill MP, who developed the nearby Thornhill Estate in the 1830s. No real ale is served here.
Kim Rennie and Jane Jephcote