The Shaftesbury Pub!

emskina

Hi there! I have been lurking on here a while now, love the site, great news and a little bit of gossip!

I live on Shaftesbury Road, and got to have a peep inside the closed Shaftesbury Pub yesterday, looks very much like its being completely refitted to be a pub again. looks like it may be quite nice even. Anyone else know any details?

:-)

Jamber

I believe it's been bought by the owner of the Swimmer and he's doing a big ole job in making it the decent pub it should be - mind you it seems to be taking a very long time!

emskina

oohh interesting! i had a peep through the doors yesterday as the workmen had them all wide open in the sunshine. It looked like it was getting completely refurbished.

andy

it's a brave man who opens a pub in this market. good luck

matt

About November last year I had heard that it had been ripped apart by the previous owners only for them to be told the bar itself in there was listed and they had to put it all back! It then went quiet for a long time, and then recently (new owner) work started afresh and seems to be progressing nicely. As another Shaftesbury Road resident, if there was a Swimmer at the end of my road that would be just about perfect. Assuming their beer prices are reasonable and not inflated to pay for the refurb.

Harry Wood

The Shaftesbury is my local too. It's been closed for too long! Actually I recently went hunting around on the council website to try and find out more. It shows up as being listed yes.

Harry Wood

Looks like it's becoming a cafe/restaurant. Boo! I want a pub!

Here's some planning details in reverse chronological order. So their most recent application was rejected

<a href="https://www.islington.gov.uk/onlineplanning/apas/run/WPHAPPDETAIL.DisplayUrl?theApnID=P072932">P072932</a> - Change of Use to two x 1-bedroom residential units at the ground floor level - Refused permission 23rd January 2008.

<a href="https://www.islington.gov.uk/onlineplanning/apas/run/WPHAPPDETAIL.DisplayUrl?theApnID=P072077">P072077</a> - Conversion of part ground floor to a 2 bed residential unit and change of use of remaining area to A3 (restaurants & cafes) use, including relocation of existing kitchen extract duct. - Approved with conditions 24th October 2007.

<a href="https://www.islington.gov.uk/onlineplanning/apas/run/WPHAPPDETAIL.DisplayUrl?theApnID=P061219">P061219</a> - Self-containment of ancillary residential accommodation and construction of new mansard roof to create 3 x 2 bed and 2 x 1 bed units. Installation of new kitchen extract duct. – Approved with conditions 19th July 2006.

Reg

Shame its not going to be a pub anymore. However, there are three or four old boys that can usually be found on a bench just up the road. I'm sure they'll sell you some QuiteFrightening if you ask nicely. Any time of day, rain wind or shine. I went for a jog one morning the other week (around 7am) and voila, there they were...

emskina

well i had a another look in yesterday ad it defnately looks like a pub not a cafe, big huge wooden bar is being put in, would look silly as a cafe!

matt

It's definitely got to stay as a bar.

matt

i checked with the guy and they've even scrawled into the white-out window that "it's a pub!"

matt

Window currently states that it is opening May 13th and they are currently looking for staff

Hugh

I'm also a Shaftesbury Road-er and very much looking forward to this re-opening. Hadn't realised it was the guy who does The Swimmer. This bodes well, though the tables out the front in the Hornsey Road . . . erm . . . 'beer garden' will surely be occupied again by the lairy lads with large dogs and larger spliffs pretty pronto.

The realist in me still struggles to see how anything remotely gastro will survive this climate AND location.

We can but hope.

Sounds like I may well be seeing a few of you in there sometime soon, anyway.

Colette

Just got a flyer through the door advertising the grand reopening on May 14th, offering a free drink and buffet on the 14th (free drink also on 15th) with the flyer. It's a good flyer too, I'm quite optimistic.

matt

Ooh, sounds good.

matt

Well, we're here right now. Pretty nice turnaround! Free ale is good, as are the nibbles.

Ali

Remember being in the Shaftsbury in the early 80s watching News at Ten. It was the sort of place back in those days where the punters were cheering IRA London bombings!

Harry Wood

Hey! Me and my girlfriend were there tonight too. Maybe youre in <a href="http://www.harrywood.co.uk/blog/2009/05/14/the-shaftesbury-re-opened/" title="Harry Wood blog">my blurry photo</a>. Just popped in briefly to claim our free beer. Seems quite nice. I'm happy to have a local again!

matt

Can't see us in that photo. Bit of a mixed crowd tonight, we'll see how it goes. Good jukebox, though.

Jamber

Good to know the Shaftsbury's back up - what did the menu look like? if it was up?

Harry Wood

I remember it had steak n ale pie for 8 pounds something

Dunno why I remember such an unremarkable menu item. Surely they had something more unusual than that on the blackboard. Anyway I guess that means they're not trying to be an overly gastro

tosscat

There wasn't much remarkable on there. It was so unremarkable that I couldn't be arsed reading it - it was in that painted faux-chalk stylee. Lol.

matt

yeah it was a lot more trad pub fare than the gastro swimmer. unremarkable. understandable given there's no visible kitchen and the catchment could be very different.

matt

Well, I'm revising my opinion of The Shaftesbury Tavern. What a great pub. Had a lazy Sunday afternoon/evening here yesterday with a few mates - one if whom said it was the best pub he'd been in for ages. Wasn't very busy but the atmosphere was great. Might have just been the Sunday vibe, but I feel pretty lucky to have this as my local.

David

We go there quite a bit as a midway point to meet friends from Archway. I think its still reasonably unremarkable but it works for us. I suppose you need a proper kitchen to get the big thumbs up but as a straight up boozer with friendly vibe we like it.

ADGS

I made my first visit a couple of weeks back on a Wednesday, it was pretty empty which probably doesn't bode well but which I always like in a pub. Good food, decent selection of drinks, bit pricy but one tends to expect that these days. Good luck to them.

matt

@David, the food is never going to be as gastro as a few of the other SG pubs - but as a pub it's excellent. Great range of ales, too.

David

Agreed. And don't get me wrong, I'm not a gastrofile. I love a good boozer me. I also think the back room is absolutely wonderful, a shame I've never seen it full with a flowing atmosphere, so we always end up out the front.

Arkady

The quiz on a Monday night is brilliant, pretty high brow. The quizmaster is like Christopher Hitchens, only fatter and more condescending. And the ales are always good. Friendly staff too.

B