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Detail Pages
The Stags Head, Hoxton, N1
N1
N1 5RA
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Stags Head
On 10th June 2016:
Situated right off the beaten track in the desert hinterland hybrid that has an N1 postcode, yet is in Hackney, is The Stags Head, established in 1856 but rebuilt by Truman, Hanbury & Buxton's golden boy A. E. Sewell in the 1930s. The pub's website states that it has proudly restored its details such as wonderful Truman's wood panelling, integrated Truman's mirrors and Truman's illuminated bar back parapet, yet has ruined the exterior biscuit glaze tiles by entombing them in burgundy paint. The pub also boasts the reinstatement of two working fireplaces which have wonderful ceramic stag motifs above the surrounds, and the vinyl floor, which dates back to the 1930s - ahem...no it doesn't. If it dates from the 1930s then it's linoleum.
There's a small central bar and off to the left is a small live music and dance room. The main bar features an upright piano and conventional furniture. Playing on the night of our visit, was some subdued acoustic folk music which didn't intrude. However, if the Marshall stacks and DJs featured on the website were in evidence, we'd probably have passed on by. Aside from the audience in the music zone, the pub was decidedly quiet.
Sadly, there was only one ale on with - I think - a blank pump. The barmaid was off-hand and served me a decent pint of Upham Brewery's Punter which was a decent enough and unheard-of find, which at £3.85 a pint is really quite good for the area.
This really is a very unusual pub and I would make a special point of visiting, just to experience the largely unspoilt 1930s' interior. A couple of extra real ales could turn this place into a minor destination pub.
Rated 6.
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A return the other night and the pub is unchanged, though perhaps with the addition of Kray memorabilia, though I don’t know if they ever visited. What is true though, is that the depiction of a scene from Legend is accurate, as both the interior and exterior feature in the film.
Where the place has gone down hill though, is on the ale front with just the awful Doom Bar and worse still, the arrival of something called Doom Bar ‘Extra Chilled’, which can only be worse still, so once again it was a half of Neck Oil at an obscene £3.45, served in an equally awful Camden brewery ‘tumbler’ by a vapid barman.
This is a lovely pub, but the undrinkable Hobson’s choice of cask beer means that I’m unlikely to return.
On 10th March 2023
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1993 recommendations about 1959 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Stags Head
Tucked away on a side street near the Regents Canal,there is a magnificent Truman's interior which has been discovered and restored by the pub owners.The exterior is also traditional apart from the colour scheme and it sits on a street corner in a downmarket locale.The apex entrance gives way to a very basic tap room,worn wooden floor,cellar hatch, an old upright piano and a few benches and stools.There is a keg gantry offering 7 options,most mainstream but two from Beavertown.Locals gather in here and there is an exit to the beer garden.The island bar gives views into the impressive back lounge where all the features exist and you can see the back of 4 handpumps.I enquired about real ale but was told there is none so a pint of keg Beavertown Gamma Ray at £6.70 was purchased before setting off to explore.
Through an arch is the former Jug & Bottle with it's own door,kept locked these days.Then the back lounge with the exposed original 30's lino,wood panelling,gently curved bar,settles and stools and Truman beer names picked out in gold paint.Two real brick fireplaces stuffed with logs still exist either side of the entrance to a rear room with a small stage at one end,lit by fairy lights.Around the bar original light fittings still exist,it's a calm area steeped in pre war character but strangely unused by the regulars.
No real ale is a great shame,and the keg pricing would deter session drinkers.The welcome was cursory and the marks are solely for the terrific interior which is worthy of inspection.
On 11th August 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2730 recommendations about 2730 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about The Stags Head
The Stags Head is a back street pub that still has its original Trumans signage set in stone on the outside.
Once inside there is an oblong shaped room to the right which which had one settee and normal tables and chairs,there is a separate room to the left which is smaller than the main room,the floor was tiled or something like that.
There was one real ale on the bar that i noticed which was Doom Bar,this was a decent enough drink.
This seemed a pleasant enough pub to have a drink in.
Pub visited 11/6/2016
On 1st August 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Stags Head
This is a CAMRA London inventory pub, so it has a largely unspoilt interior. It’s an inter-war Truman’s pub, built to serve the nearby estate. Unfortunately some bright spark has decided to paint the original Truman’s external buff tiles a ghastly deep red, which has done the appearance of the pub no favours at all. The original public and saloon bars are still extant, separated by some screening and a now disused bottle and jug bar. The original wooden panelling is still in place on the walls. At some point the pub was extended to the left, with a room that now seems to be used as a music, or similar, venue. Fortunately the garish lighting in this room did not infect the rest of the pub. Furnishing were standard tables and chairs.
I was not expecting to find any real ale in here, but they did in fact have on St Austell Tribute, Young’s Bitter and Otter Ale. The latter turned out to be in excellent nick, and at £3.25 a pint quite reasonably priced by London standards. I don’t know about food – there was no sign of food or menus when I was in on Friday afternoon.
I found this still to be an unpretentious locals’ boozer with no airs or graces, and with a surprisingly good ale selection. It’s worth a visit to see a rare example of an unspoilt (if you ignore the exterior red paint for a minute) inter-war Truman’s pub. I would be happy to pay a return visit.
On 23rd June 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]