The Wenlock Arms
Encyclopedia
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
which reopened on Friday 14 January 1994. The pub is located half way between Old Street
Old Street
Old Street is a street in east London that runs west to east from Goswell Road in Clerkenwell, in the London Borough of Islington, to the crossroads where it intersects with Shoreditch High Street , Kingsland Road and Hackney Road in Shoreditch in the London Borough of Hackney.The nearest...
and Angel Islington just off the City Road
City Road
City Road or The City Road is a road that runs through inner north and central London. The northwestern extremity of the road is at the Angel, Islington where it forms a continuation of Pentonville Road. Pentonville Road itself is the modern name for London's first bypass, the New Road from...
and the City Road Basin and Wenlock Basin
Wenlock Basin
The Wenlock Basin, a canal basin, is part of the Regent's Canal in the London Borough of Hackney, just east of City Road Basin, on the other side of Wharf Road...
on the Regent's Canal
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, just north-west of Paddington Basin in the west, to the Limehouse Basin and the River Thames in east London....
. The pub has won awards for the quality and range of its cask ale
Cask ale
Cask ale or cask-conditioned beer is the term for unfiltered and unpasteurised beer which is conditioned and served from a cask without additional nitrogen or carbon dioxide pressure...
s.
History
The Wenlock Arms first opened for business in 1836 and was operated by the nearby Wenlock Brewery as a "brewery tap".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
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 and Dr. Isaac Watts, and the neighbouring Hartopp family. In 1840 it became a non-denominational garden cemetery, semi-public park arboretum, and...
. 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
Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. Its associated adjective is "Burtonian"....
, and was available throughout the year 2000.
Planned sale and possible demolition
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.There was little more than rumour for a year, whilst the Wenlock Arms continued to trade as usual. On 7 September 2011, an application for the demolition of the existing building and construction of a new development was registered with Hackney Council. The consultation period runs until 10 October 2011.
Building and interior
The pub building, built in 1835, is a survivor of the wartimeWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
bombing of the area, and retains a traditional pub interior.
Cask ale
The Wenlock Arms is a renowned cask aleCask ale
Cask ale or cask-conditioned beer is the term for unfiltered and unpasteurised beer which is conditioned and served from a cask without additional nitrogen or carbon dioxide pressure...
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.
Cultural references
"Terror at Wenlock Brewery" was published in 1998 by Stephen Sadler, and tells of The BlitzThe Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
.
David Beckham used to join his late grandad 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
Al Murray's Compete for the Meat
Al Murray's Compete for the Meat is a British comedy quiz show, where the contestants compete for a frozen chicken, while the second placed team gets sausages. It is hosted by comedian Al Murray and co-hosted by former Blue Peter presenter Zöe Salmon...
.