Greater London Pub of the Year 2025
Each of the twelve branches of CAMRA in Greater London selects a Pub of the Year and our regional pub of the year is chosen from among them. Representatives of each branch visit all of the pubs and assess them against CAMRA’s standard criteria. These are the promotion and knowledge of cask ale, cleanliness and hygiene, community focus, style décor and atmosphere but, above all, the quality of their cask ale.
The winner this year is the Hope in West Street, Carshalton. It is a traditional pub, owned by investors from the local community. The Hope offers seven cask ales, always including a dark beer, as well as other interesting beers and ciders from independent breweries. This is the seventh time since 2012 that the Hope has won the award.
The runner-up (by a very small margin) was the Cockpit in Royal Parade, Chislehurst. This is a micropub that opened in 2020. Unusually the Cockpit houses a florist at the front of the premises. We send our congratulations to the winner and runner up.
David Lands
East London & City
The East London & City branch made their Pub of the Year presentation on 28 August to Ye Olde Mitre in Hatton Garden. The award was decided by a vote of ELAC branch members and there was a good turnout of both them and pub regulars for the presentation. Pictured is branch committee member Steve Hall presenting the award to general manager Judith Norman. With thanks to James Skinner for the photograph.
It will be noted that Steve is wearing this year’s Pig’s Ear Beer Festival t-shirt. The 2025 theme is the Thunderbirds because it is the 60th anniversary of the original TV show. The shirts are sponsored by Signature Brew. They are now available in navy blue at a cost of £13 in all sizes from small to 4XL. If you would like to buy one, please e-mail the branch at elacbranch@mail.com. We are happy for you to reserve one to collect at the festival but ask that you indicate which day you are likely to attend. The festival is open from Tuesday 2 to Saturday 6 December.
Andy Kinch
Enfield & Barnet
On the second Saturday in August, the Enfield & Barnet branch enjoyed a very pleasant afternoon at Botany Bay Cricket Club. The main purpose of our visit was to present them with our branch Club of the Year award. As well as cricket through the summer, the club also hosts a regular programme of jazz and rock ‘n’ roll events. They also maintain a good selection of cask ales
On our visit these were Dark Star Hophead, Fuller’s London Pride, Harvey’s Sussex Best and New River Five Inch Drop. The photo shows branch chairman Peter Graham presenting the award to club president Peter Jarvis.
Mike Hodgkinson
South East London
The branch selects a pub of the year for each of the four areas that it covers and each receives a certificate. On Saturday 23 August, members of branch made presentations to two of the four winners for 2025.
The first was to the Mayflower in Rotherhithe (SE16 4NF) as the Lambeth/Southwark (excluding SE1) area winner. Originally rebuilt as the Spread Eagle & Crown in the 19th century, the premises suffered bomb damage during World War II and a major refurbishment in 1957 created the 16th century style interior we see today.
The pub was also renamed after the ship that originally set sail from Rotherhithe in 1620 to carry the Pilgrim Fathers to America. It remains popular with visitors from the United States and those with a family connection to the original settlers may sign the Descendants’ Book, which had occurred earlier in the day of our visit. The photo shows branch chair Andy Large presenting the certificate to Ed, the pub’s manager.
Our second visit of the day was to the Lewisham area winner, the Dog & Bell in Deptford and fortunately coincided with its annual sausage and cider festival. This local institution remains hugely popular
with a wide demographic of locals and visitors alike. The top photo shows branch chair Andy Large presenting the certificate to Seamus O’Neill surrounded by members the pub’s staff.
While undoubtedly a happy celebration of the pub’s ongoing success, the branch’s visit was also tinged with sadness because it came only two weeks after the passing of owner and former landlord Charles Gallagher. Charlie and his wife Eileen took over what was then the Royal Marine in 1988, reinstated its original name and then set about creating a cask beer oasis in an area that had become something of a beer desert.
After almost three decades and multiple awards, Charlie and Eileen retired in 2016, with tenants Eli and Seamus taking over. Charlie is survived by Eileen and leaves behind a fine legacy indeed. There is a memorial to him in the pub.
Steve Silcock
West London
On 31 July, at the invitation of Fuller’s, CAMRA members from at least four London branches descended upon the Admiralty in Trafalgar Square to commemorate Black Tot Day. This is the anniversary of the ending in 1970 of the Royal Navy’s daily rum ration. It was held to raise funds for the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity (RNRMC). We sang along with gusto to sea shanties performed by King’s Pond Shantymen, learned how to tie knots
with a representative of RNRMC; ate pieces of sticky toffee cake washed down with tots of Pusser’s rum and, pièce de résistance, had a good glug (half pints only) of Marks the Tot (8.5% ABV), a heady mix of rum and raisin infused imperial porter brewed by Helen the manager and the crew of the Admiralty in conjunction with John Hatch of Sambrook’s Brewery (in the photograph). We were all most grateful for the invitation.
Wanda Piontek
West Middlesex
This year’s Club of the Year was Questors Grapevine Bar in Ealing. The presentation was made back in May but not reported at the time. The photo shows Ben Hart, chairman of the club, receiving the award from Ellie Eames, CAMRA’s Regional Director for Greater London.
The branch selects a Pub of the Year from each of the boroughs in its area and then decides which will go forward as overall Pub of the Year. The award for Hillingdon borough went to J.J. Moon’s in Ruislip Manor and the photo shows the manager, Sam Garvey, receiving the certificate from Tracey Powell, the branch’s Pub Promotions and Awards Coordinator.
The Harrow & Brent borough award went to the Castle in Harrow and the presentation was scheduled for 24 September.
The Ealing borough Pub of the Year and the overall branch Pub of the Year is the Dodo Micropub in Hanwell. The picture below shows Ellie and Tracey presenting both awards to its owner, Lucy Do.
Tracey Powell