Comments on: Ben Crouch’s Tavern https://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2009/08/ben-crouchs-tavern Lollards in the high church of low culture Fri, 26 May 2023 22:45:01 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 By: Dave https://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2009/08/ben-crouchs-tavern/comment-page-1#comment-2583257 Fri, 26 May 2023 22:45:01 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=15059#comment-2583257 Spent most Friday nights here between 2002 to 2007. Tube to Oxford Circus, Argyle St exit and into the Argyle Arms for a couple of pints upstairs to get us started. Walk to Wells Street and into Ben Crouch’s Tavern (we called it ‘The Ben Crouch Tavern’) for pints, followed by jack daniels and coke, followed by double vodka and oranges then onto the sambucas. Always stayed until last orders then we’d walk to Borderline on Tottenham Court Road, occasionally to the Astoria for cans of red stripe or down through ‘piss alley’ to Soho and into Bar Soho or Madame JoJo’s. I think there was also a Mexican themed club on the road adjacent to Wells Street that we went a few times. Sometimes we’d mix it up and start at the Wetherspoons in Leicester Square (The Moon under water), the O’Neils in Chinatown or the Jack Horner. I remember the music was always good in the Ben Crouch, always played Mr Brightside and “I’m gonna take you to the gay bar, gay bar, gay bar”, the toilets that made sounds when you opened the door, the shit test tube cocktails, the Ronaldo lookalike who we took a disliking too, mainly on account of his good looks, the barmaids we fancied (I think there was a blonde and a redhead) and the eclectic mix of office bods, labourers, punks, goths and media types which made it feel like home for all of us.

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By: John Pole https://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2009/08/ben-crouchs-tavern/comment-page-1#comment-2294854 Fri, 19 Oct 2018 14:36:37 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=15059#comment-2294854 I think it was called ‘Ben Crouch’ after a Victorian ‘resurrection man’ who dug up corpses for sale to anatomy students.

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By: Simon https://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2009/08/ben-crouchs-tavern/comment-page-1#comment-716644 Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:47:05 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=15059#comment-716644 I’ve been away from London for a couple of years and am pretty gutted that The Crouch that we all knew and loved won’t be there when I return next month. Had so many good nights there, especially in the early 00’s when they used to have the Heavy Metal disco on Sunday nights (what was the name of the Aussie DJ who looked like James Hetfield?).
Someone once described it as a Yuppie “Intrepid Fox” but I always liked the wider range of people that you got there. Can’t say I’m surprised that they called time on the Horror-theme, here’s to many good years there. Maybe the new owners have fixed the holes in the plaster walls in the gents?

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By: Lorena https://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2009/08/ben-crouchs-tavern/comment-page-1#comment-673445 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:31:03 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=15059#comment-673445 That was a truly wonderful place…whenever we walked in we felt at home, wonderful decoractions and wonderful music…..most definetely I will miss this place and new one does not even come close to what it used to be…..will not come to a new modern design place again…

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By: Alan https://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2009/08/ben-crouchs-tavern/comment-page-1#comment-647098 Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:55:19 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=15059#comment-647098 sinker would be the authority, but i’ve read various people ref The Champion as the NME pub, pre the move to Tharg’s spaceship of course.

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By: Tom https://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2009/08/ben-crouchs-tavern/comment-page-1#comment-647091 Wed, 02 Sep 2009 07:49:10 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=15059#comment-647091 #1 Dunno about music mags, but the one time I went there I saw a bunch of HMV staff having an after-work drink, so maybe it was their boozer.

It was gothickal by that point.

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By: AJ https://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2009/08/ben-crouchs-tavern/comment-page-1#comment-647084 Wed, 02 Sep 2009 06:49:01 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=15059#comment-647084 We will miss you Ben Crouches Tavern! Yes it was a bit cheesy but at least you felt that somewhere there was someone who had a hint of originality. Despite the conflicting themes it always hosted a friendly crowd a unique mixture if business types and Goths, a fantastic place for a nice bevvy away from the brainwashed masses. I enjoyed a number of new years eves there. Great staff too. Yet another sign of the steady deterioration towards pithy soulless conformity. Yup just what London needs, another allbarone clone. McPint anyone? I’m off to the few remaining islands of individuality. Intrepid Fox, Cro Bar, Garlic Shots, The Ship, Let us hope the rot does not spread further!

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By: Mark M https://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2009/08/ben-crouchs-tavern/comment-page-1#comment-644163 Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:48:54 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=15059#comment-644163 What I can’t remember is when it went gothick… It’s very close to what Mappin House, home of Q, Mojo, Kerrang, Smash Hits (RIP), Select (RIP), Neon (RIP) etc etc, but never seemed to be a favoured drinking haunt for anyone there, but I could be wrong. Maybe the Kerrang lot liked it? (but since I once caught them listening to Belle & Sebastian in the office, who knows?). The Select pub was definitely The Champion; the Poland St Coach and Horses another favourite.
The only memory I can really sum up of the Ben Crouch is seeing some of Spain-Tunisia in 2006 there – not really conducive for football watching and I left long before Torres won the game.

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