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Image posted by Graham Coombs
Submitted on Thursday, 16th September 2021
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Detail Pages
Alwyne Castle, Canonbury, N1
N1
N1 2LY
Alwyne Castle
Here we go! Finally a bit of spring in the air.
Who’s joining us today? #beergardenweather #n1 #islington https://t.co/tQGBQGr9P9
12:26 PM Apr 4th 2023 from Twitter for iPhone
Reviews of Alwyne Castle (Average Rating: 5½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about Alwyne Castle
This was a mid-19th century Charrington’s pub, which succumbed to the heavy bombing of Canonbury. It was rebuilt for Charrington’s in the mid- ‘60s in this rather grand style, the original having been quite a sizeable freestanding edifice.
A return for the first time since I submitted my last review almost ten years ago and I don’t think anything has changed. The first thing you notice is the sheer size of the so-called beer garden, which, with capacity for 300, more closely resembles a car park (see photo). Inside, there’s a modern shiny wooden floor, with a white colour scheme, except for the bar back, which is modern and dark grey. On high, there’s an impressive egg and dart dentilled cornice, partly vandalised to make way for ugly galvanized trunking and air handling equipment. To the rear right, there’s an area with tables laid for dining. Otherwise, there’s mixed conventional furniture, with some butchers’ block tables, then dark grey studded banquettes to the front. Lighting comes from crystal chandeliers, with yellowish mushroom shaped lamps hanging over the bar; together it’s not bright. Décor comes in the form of some miscellaneous framed pictures, small potted evergreen plants to windowsills then large potted palms and candles and bottles containing posies of flowers to tables. Music though was very loud on my Saturday evening visit, with few customers (every other pub was packed) being blasted with predictable anthems from The Police, Yazoo, Blur, Franz Ferdinand, Crystal Waters and Sophie Ellis Bextor.
Ales amounted to Doom and Landlord, at a very steep £5.95 a pint and in good nick, served by friendly barmaids.
This place is fine for a pint and a burger and the ‘garden’ is the largest in the borough.
On 1st May 2022
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about Alwyne Castle
A good solid pub marking where licensed premises get a bit sparse on the way out of town, nicely fettled apart from the obligatory ceiling ducts (personal hate). The interior is Z-shaped, with the bar in one leg and a kitchen/restaurant in the other. Outside there is a large tabled area screened from the road by a bamboo hedge. Four handpumps were claimed to serve rotating ales but all that was on offer was Doom Bar and TT Landlord.
On 16th September 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Alwyne Castle
This is a smart single room gastro-style pub just a short walk from Highbury & Islington station. The room is bare boarded throughout, with scruffy old boards to the front and newer ones further into the room, mainly around the bar area. Long button backed banquettes run along the front wall, including around a nice bay window, with high tables and stools arranged in a row through the centre of the room and a nice high-backed bench booth in the rear left corner. The servery extends along the mid-part of the rear wall and has a bright painted wood panel counter front which contrasts somewhat with the plain mirror bar back. Walls have also been painted in a rather plain shade and decorated with run of the mill bits and boobs such as mirrors, a few small paintings and an unused TV screen, none of which really enhances the character of the place – in fact the only really distinctive features come in the form of a few decorative lampshades. To the right of the bar, the room runs back into a smart dining area with plenty of formally set tables in an area that seemed surprisingly cosy but was exclusively for the use of those wanting food. A chilled-out reggae soundtrack played quietly in the background throughout most of my stay and there was a decent buzz from a good post-work crowd.
The bar supports four handpulls, but two of these were out of action when I arrived, leaving a choice between Adnams Mosaic and Hog’s Back Tea – a choice that vanished as soon as I ordered the latter and it spluttered its final dregs before the glass could be filled. I’ve never really enjoyed the Mosaic when I’ve had it before but decided to give it another try, shelling out £5.05 for the privilege. It was in pretty good shape but remains a beer I can happily live without.
This place seemed pretty bland and inoffensive to me, creating a basic pub setting but not really doing much to create a nice ambiance or some character. Overall, the pub left very little impression on me and whilst their beer was perfectly drinkable and there was nothing here I particularly disliked, I think I’ll stick to my regular haunts when I’m in this part of town, rather than bother with this place again.
On 3rd July 2020
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
View more reviews of Alwyne Castle (11)
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- Official site of the Alwyne Castle, contains menus - www.thealwynecastleislington.co.uk
- Randomness Guide to London - Alwyne entry
- Facebook - The Alwyne Castle
- Twitter - Alwyne Castle
- CAMRA WhatPub :: Alwyne Castle - whatpub.com
Highbury & Islington, 0.33 miles, 6 min walk (show)
Canonbury, 0.37 miles, 7 min walk (show)
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 21 November 2017 by Komakino .
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 21 November 2017 by Komakino .
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 01 May 2022 by Tris C
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 17 September 2010 by Quinno _
- Car Park : No last updated 21 November 2017 by Komakino .
- Child Friendly : Yes last updated 03 July 2020 by Pub SignMan
- Darts : No last updated 03 July 2020 by Pub SignMan
- Function Room : No last updated 03 July 2020 by Pub SignMan
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 29 July 2013 by Dave McNally
- Jukebox : No last updated 21 November 2017 by Komakino .
- Karaoke : No last updated 21 November 2017 by Komakino .
- Live Music : Yes last updated 21 November 2017 by Komakino .
- Live TV Sports : No last updated 01 May 2022 by Tris C
- Micropub : No last updated 21 November 2017 by Komakino .
- Pinball : No last updated 21 November 2017 by Komakino .
- Pool Table : No last updated 21 November 2017 by Komakino .
- Quiz Night : Yes - Mondays - last updated 17 September 2010 by Quinno _
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 29 July 2013 by Dave McNally
- Real Cider : No last updated 21 November 2017 by Komakino .
- Wheelchair Access : Yes - Disabled WC. - last updated 01 May 2022 by Tris C
- WiFi : Yes last updated 21 November 2017 by Komakino .
