The Wenlock Arms is a

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

Hoxton Hoxton is an area in the London Borough of Hackney, England. As a part of Shoreditch, it is often considered to be part of the East End – the historic core of wider East London. It was historically in the county of Middlesex until 1889. I ...

, in London's

East End The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

, which began trading in 1787. The pub is located halfway between

Old Street Old Street is a street in inner north-east Central London that runs west to east from Goswell Road in Clerkenwell, in the London Borough of Islington, via St Luke's and Old Street Roundabout, to the crossroads where it meets Shoreditch High ...

and

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

, just off the

City Road City Road or The City Road is a road that runs through central London. The northwestern extremity of the road is at Angel where it forms a continuation of Pentonville Road. Pentonville Road itself is the modern name for the eastern part of Lo ...

and the City Road Basin and

Wenlock Basin The Wenlock Basin, is a 320 metre long canal basin on the Regent's Canal, in the Hoxton area of the London Borough of Hackney, United Kingdom. The City Road Basin lies just to the west of Wharf Road and is in the neighbouring London Borough of ...

on the

Regent's Canal Regent's Canal is a canal across an area just north of central London, England. It provides a link from the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal, north-west of Paddington Basin in the west, to the Limehouse Basin and the River Thames in eas ...

. The pub has won awards for the quality and range of its

cask ale Real ale is the name coined by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) for beer that is "brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous car ...

History

The Wenlock Arms first opened for business in 1787 and was operated by the nearby Wenlock Brewery as a "

brewery tap A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

". John Lane (1808–1873) owned and ran the Wenlock Brewery from 1840 until his death, initially as "Lane & Bowden" (the 1842 Post Office Directory mentions “LANE & BOWDEN, Ale Brewers, 9 Wenlock Road”). John's brother-in-law, John Mitchell (1813–1868), was brewery foreman in 1851 (mentioned in the census). Various other members of the Mitchell family worked at the brewery from time to time. These included John Mitchell's older brother Thomas (mentioned in the census as being foreman at the brewery in 1871), another John Mitchell (a cousin; c. 1820–1849), as well as at least three of John Lane's brothers. Yet another John Mitchell, John Hoffe Mitchell, was joint executor of John Lane's will. In 1873, ownership passed to John Lane's youngest son, Robert George. Robert, after brewing in Alton, Hampshire, and marrying Parisienne Louise Marie Julienne Isabel Jean dit Saussay in 1876, died of pneumonia in 1880, aged only 31. After this the brewery became the property of one Richard Alfred Glover, before being taken over by Glover Bell & Co in 1887. John Lane, his wife Eliza Beaven (Mitchell), four of their children – including Robert George and another son Frederick (who committed suicide by shooting himself in 1874) – are buried in

Abney Park Cemetery Abney Park cemetery is one of the "Magnificent Seven" cemeteries in London, England. Abney Park in Stoke Newington in the London Borough of Hackney is a historic parkland originally laid out in the early 18th century by Lady Mary Abney, D ...

. Buried next to them are members of the Mitchell family. When the New London Brewery, of Lambeth, London, went into voluntary liquidation on 13 January 1925, their licensed houses were bought by the Wenlock Brewery. Wenlock Fireside Ale was recreated starting from 1 November 1999 by the Museum Brewery, Burton, and was available throughout the year 2000.

Building and interior

The pub building, built in 1835, is a survivor of the wartime bombing of the area, and retains a traditional pub interior.

Cask ale

The Wenlock Arms is a renowned

public house in London, and has been named North London Pub of the Year by the local CAMRA branch on four occasions since it reopened in 1994. The pub competes in the ''north'' category, despite its East End location, as CAMRA use postal districts to define their competition sectors.

Cultural references

"Terror at Wenlock Brewery" was published in 1998 by Stephen Sadler, and tells of

The Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham (; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending fr ...

used to join his grandfather for drinks at the Wenlock Arms, even after he became a superstar. The Wenlock Arms features in the opening titles of the television show '' Al Murray's Compete for the Meat''. The Wenlock Arms was used as a location for Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg's film '' The World's End'', released in 2013 starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan, and Rosamund Pike.

Conservation

In September 2010, news emerged that the Wenlock Arms was planned to be demolished, and in response a campaign to save the pub was started. On 7 September 2011, an application to demolish the existing building and replace it with a new development was registered with Hackney Council. The consultation period ran until 10 October 2011. There was also a new application (October 2012). The Wenlock arms is now in a conservation area, and receives protection as a result. The decision to extend the Regents Canal Conservation Area was taken by Hackney Council (Cabinet) on 19 December 2011. After a period of closure, the pub was finally rescued after a vigorous campaign led by the local community and CAMRA. It reopened on 3 June 2013. The pub itself underwent renovation, floors upstairs being extended for residential accommodation.

References

External links

The Wenlock Arms
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wenlock Arms Pubs in the London Borough of Hackney Tourist attractions in the London Borough of Hackney 1787 establishments in England