Jul/Aug 2023 news
Here's an update on the latest news and information from West London branch of CAMRA. Further news can be found in the London Drinker.
Branch and other local CAMRA events
- Monday 24th July - Branch social. Uxbridge Arms, Uxbridge St W8 7TQ 7pm, Hillgate, Hillgate Street, 8pm; Churchill Arms 9pm.
- 1 to 5 August - Great British Beer Festival - CAMRA's main national beer festival, held within the branch area at Olympia. As always it will have an amazing selection of beers and ciders, plus food stalls and entertainment! Find out more at https://gbbf.org.uk/.
- Tuesday 15th August: Afternoon social - Cask Pub & Kitchen (SW1V 2EE) 2pm
- Tuesday 5th September: Afternoon social - Metropolitan Bar (NW1 5LA) 2pm
- Tuesday 19th September: Branch Meeting - Speaker (SW1P 2HA) 7pm for 7.30pm
- Monday 25th September: Evening Soho social - meet at Shaston Arms (W1F 7QN) 7pm, moving on to Shakespeare's Head, Great Marlborough St 8pm; Clachan, Kingly St 9pm.
Branch and regional CAMRA news
- London Pubs Group continues its tours of historic pubs - for information see https://londonpubsgroup.camra.org.uk/events. Upcoming events: Wednesday 9 August 2023 - Evening Tour of Mayfair; Saturday 14 October 2023 - Daytime Tour of Chiswick Park and Turnham Green; Wednesday 6 December 2023 - Evening Tour (area TBD).
- The London Drinker is available with news about pubs and CAMRA, in print at many local pubs and online.
Pub and brewery news
- Wetherspoons have applied for planning permission to open a pub at 11 Strand, near Covent Garden.
- The Tom Cribb, Panton Street closed for a refurbishment. It is due to reopen mid September.
- The Cheshire Cheese, Milford Lane (south of Strand, not to be confused with the nearby Olde Cheshire Cheese on Fleet St!) stopped selling real ale in about June, with no immediate plans to reintroduce it.
- Works to convert the Old Suffolk Punch, Fulham Palace Rd, Hammersmith to a hotel appear to be in progress. The plans include a replacement pub at ground floor level.
- The Hero of Maida pub is closed.
- SW1, MOO CANTINA ARGENTINA, 43 Vauxhall Bridge Road, SW1V 2TA. Closed - future uncertain.
- SW7, IMPERIAL COLLEGE UNION BARS (Imperial College), Beit Quadrangle, Prince Consort Road, SW7 2BB. No longer Cask Marque accredited.
- W1, MARKET PLACE, 11 Market Place, W1W 8AH. Renamed OXFORD MARKET.
- W1, RUNNING HORSE (Grosvenor Estates), 50 Davies Street, W1K 5JE. Closed as part of major redevelopment. The Running Horse Pub will remain at the corner of Davies Street and Davies Mews undergoing renovation works to repair its historic features as well as creating guest bedrooms in existing rooms on the upper floors.
- W1, MR FOGG’S HAT TAVERN & GIN CLUB 22 Great Chapel Street, W1F 8FR. Part of the growing Mr Fogg’s chain of themed cocktail bars run by Inception Group, but this one does sell some draught keg beers. The site is very close to the former Henry Heath top-hat factory and the venue has hats on display. Formerly London Gin Club.
- W2, STABLEHAND, 4 Bathurst Street, W2 2SD. This is a new gastropub in the former Hall & Woodhouse Archery Tavern which closed at the start of 2006 when the lease ran out. The site dates from 1839 and the old pub was named after the archery range on which it was built. The site then became a restaurant. The food offering includes Sunday roasts. At the date of our visit, soon after opening, the handpumps were as yet unused and an ale cask was available on stillage.
- W6, RAVEN (Trust Inns/MC Bars Ltd/MC Bars), 375 Goldhawk Road, W6 0SA. No longer Cask Marque accredited.
- W8, UXBRIDGE ARMS (Stonegate), 13 Uxbridge Street, W8 7TQ. Appears to have reverted to tenanted.
- WC2, MARQUESS OF ANGLESEY (Young's), 39 Bow Street, WC2E 7AU. Reopened following refurbishment. Ale range reported reduced.
- WC2, NELL OF OLD DRURY (Stonegate), 29 Catherine Street, WC2B 5JS. Sign on the bar advertising 10% discount for CAMRA members
National CAMRA news
- The Great British Beer Festival will be at Olympia on 1 to 5th August 2023.
- More national CAMRA news and events can be found in CAMRA's online newspaper What's Brewing available at https://wb.camra.org.uk/.
- CAMRA also regularly produces a podcast 'Pubs. Pints. People' available at https://camra.org.uk/podcast/.
For the latest news check out our Facebook and Twitter pages. Also for news from CAMRA across London see London Drinker, and the London CAMRA Facebook page.
Silver award for the Victoria
On 19th June the West London branch attended the presentation of the runners up award for West London CAMRA branch pub of the year to the Victoria, Strathearn Place, Paddington. Chris enthusiastically accepted the award, in a very busy pub, and proudly announced he was going to add it to the collection of second place awards the pub has already been awarded. It had previously been runner-up in 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2022!
The pub is also one of CAMRA's Real Heritage Pubs with a very rare and wonderful mid-Victorian interior. It offers a selection of Fuller's beers plus a guest beer and meals, and a warm welcome!
New chairman
We welcome a new chairman of the branch, Wanda Piontek. She was elected at our annual general meeting held in May at The Star Tavern, Belgravia.
She told us about how her love of real ale began: "My introduction to ale started with Ruddles County and the funny shaped bottles. At university I moved to the Marstons heartland and innumerable pints of Pedigree were sunk. Moving to Japan Yebisu became the drink of choice. My return to England coincided with a vast improvement to the range of ales available and I have been able to indulge my love of stout and porters".
We'd like to also thank our previous chairman Alex Langford for all his work for the branch. He'll continue to play an important role supporting the branch as our vice-chairman.
