OUR GREAT British pubs

We explore some of the measures taken by traditional pubs to stay upright in the modern era of austerity by Chloe Hodge

pubs are a true British comfort: in winter they’re warm, in summer they refresh and there’s no need to dress up. The best pub has simple fare, a varied drinks selection and a friendly atmosphere for socialising or just chilled contemplation.

However, tens of these British beacons are still closing every week – beautiful beer-halls with glossy green tiles, wood burning chimneys and brass taps condemned to demolition.
According to proprietor Dan of The Gladstone Arms – located behind Borough on Lant Street – one sure-fire approach is to “do one thing, and do it well”. Over the years, this pub has flitted from staid old pub to popular gay bar, from a trendy magnolia affair to, currently, a soulful music venue. Upstairs is cosy, with board games, books and beer; whilst downstairs is a banging space for live music – big enough to pack in a crowd, but small enough to create an intimate atmosphere.

British Pub London
Danny and Dan have been running ‘The Glad’, as it’s colloquially known, for seven successful years, transforming it from a five-day-week wine bar, to a weeklong music venue. Although Southwark used to shut down at weekends, the pair were adamant that their pub wouldn’t and decided to bring in the punters with their musical talents and friends: Saturday night is loud and lively, Sunday is a peaceful day of music and pie.

“He was a wise man who invented beer – Plato

Whilst The Glad is thriving, to save those waterholes which have fared less well in recent times, a backlash has begun: where there were community shops, there are now community pubs. This sort of neighbourly venture is something you might expect to be limited to close-knit rural villages; however The Ivy House in Nunhead – a spacious Trumans pub, just a few miles from London Bridge – proves this assumption wrong.

British Pub Gladstone Arms The Glad London
The Ivy House had once been popular for its Sunday roasts and big bands until the landlord succumbed to a common temptation and sold up – the building being worth more cash than he could make from his punters. On The Ivy House’s last night, a group of four regulars sat together, decided to fight for their local and formed a steering group: Tessa Blunden, Emily Dresner, Hugo Simms and Stuart Taylor. With £400,000 needed for purchase and a refurbishment to fund, the project was intimidating. Still, through a share offer, loans and grants, the community bought The Ivy House on 15th March last year and are planning to open this summer.

Whilst it is one of the only original Trumans pubs still standing, Tessa assured that The Ivy House will remain an independent – free to choose any craft beer or real ale they desire. Sunday’s roast will be back on the menu and the big bands will return to the pub’s spectacular stage.

Like The Ivy House and The Glad, The Gowlett in Peckham is a real-life incarnation of its seven-year landlord, Johnny’s, personality. It’s not often that you walk into a London pub and see drinkers chatting across tables, with the boss taking the time to sit down with his punters even when the entire pub is jam-packed. Like The Glad, this pub is an interactive local: taking part in Peckham Free Film Festival; inviting drinkers to DJ their own vinyl on Thursday nights during Lucky 7s; exhibiting both local and international art.

Whilst certain pubs thrive due to finding their ‘niche’, others are complete all-rounders, The Woolpack on Bermondsey Street, for example, serves ales, cocktails, homemade granola breakfasts and greasy burgers. What’s more, it’s dog and child-friendly with the stylish décor suited to hip East London types. Its popularity is undoubted – bringing in an eclectic crowd ranging from local Bermondsey Street folk to suits and creatives working in the area.

Statistically, London maintains a catastrophic level of loneliness. While big breweries will always operate their pubs as faceless businesses, it’s people like the steering group of The Ivy House, the managers of The Glad, The Gowlett and The Woolpack who are set to prosper by providing a community hub where people of all walks of life can eat, drink and be merry!

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