One of my local pubs is being refurbed. I am rather nervous about it. Whilst not a regular haunt, I rather liked thShaftesbury, its cheap beer, lovely Sunday lunches and the like. What it will become I am not sure, there is genuine gutting going on through the window so it looks like a major furb. I fear gastropub looms, which would cetainly make sense for the area if The Swimmer is anything to go by. They have taken the sign down now anyway, which means anything could come back. Though surely not another attempt at something like the Salt Bar.
Taking down the sign has been a good thing though, because under it was the old sign. I’ll try to take a photo of it, but suffice to say it has nicely blocky sixties look to it, red on tan. Advertising a brewery of course which is now defunct. So maybe they are restoring it to its former mini music hall glory. Or maybe not.
In other Crouch End pub news, over the hill it appears the Railway Tavern is under new management. There were a lot of dogs in the Harringey Arms on Tuesday, which was unusual. The answer, apparently the landlord of the Railway had banned dogs from his pubs. Wither Pubwatch these days? In my youth it was banned from one, banned from all.