The Horatia, N7

A five minute or so walk from Highbury & Islington station, this is a large, opened out and modernised pub typical of the area, with a single room layout across two notional parts - the light, front seating and bar area and the darker, lounge and games space to the rear. The pub is bare boarded throughout, with walls painted in the uninspiring range of grey shades that so many North London pubs are done out in these days. The servery is to the left and has a grey tongue and groove counter and a mirrored bar back with grey panels above, lined with old paintings and photos. Loads of tables and chairs fill the space opposite, many of which are on a raised platform in the front right quarter of the room, with a few high tables and stools further back, alongside a U-shaped banquette. Potted plants stand in the window above this banquette, a shelving unit near the entrance is stacked with board games and most impressively, an original feature in the shape of a tile painting of Lord Nelson can be found next to the front door, with some decorative glazed tiling beneath. The rear part of the room has hard bench booths to either side and some Chesterfield sofas in the centre. A fireplace in the middle of the rear wall has a TV screen above, which was showing some random BBC show with hip-hop tunes playing over the sound system. An upright piano stands against the back wall with an old radio set on top, whilst there is a table football game in the middle of the room and two youngsters were playing Streetfighter II on a games console to the rear left. A large pull-down screen in the centre of the pub looked like it would screen live football, but it was unused during this particular visit. Sadly there was only one operational handpull when I arrived, dispensing Verdant Penpol at £5.60 a pint. One other handle was unclipped, but they had a pretty good keg selection including beers from Beavertown, Werewolf, Stone, Arbor and most of the Camden range. The Penpol was a bit tired but the barman was very welcoming and his colleague gave me a hearty farewell as I left. I quite liked this pub, despite the large, drinking barn-style interior, and thought they'd put some effort in to make the place stand out from the crowd a bit. The limited ale range, and seeming struggle to keep even that in good shape, is a concern and would probably deter me from coming back any time soon, but overall it still felt like a decent spot to while away a bit of time in. Date of visit - 23rd June 2024

Official site of Horatia - www.thehoratia.co.uk

This was originally the Lord Nelson, and given its current name in 2010, which refers to the good admiral’s daughter, Horatia - a bit like Nigel Lawson and his daughter today then, though whether Horatia could cook is not known. This is a corner pub situated on the melee that is Holloway Road, under new management since 2013. Externally it’s quite grand with some fine details and pink granite pilasters; a Truman’s sign bracket can still be seen. Inside, things have improved since the Google images were compiled in 2011: gone is the mauve paint (now white) and the chintzy furniture. Happily, the lovely tilework rendition of Nelson by the door has been retained – it reminded me of the one in the Washington, NW3. Gone too is the enormous TV showing vintage films. The smell of barbecue sauce has arrived, which made me feel hungry as I’d not eaten all day. It’s a split-level interior, fenced off by balusters. Some ugly ductwork snakes across the ceiling but I’ve seen worse. The area to the rear would appear to be more of a lounge. There are a couple of iron structural columns with ornate capitals, some wood panelling and a modern bare boarded floor, but it’s untreated and wearing in well. The bar is wood-topped and matchboard fronted, lit by hanging lamps above with sizeable metal shades. Further lighting is supplied by modest Victorian-style chandeliers. Furniture is conventional and there’s also an upright piano. Otherwise, décor is minimal and music is muted. Despite our mid-week arrival, the place was very full. Not rammed or heaving, but certainly doing a roaring trade with a mainly younger crowd, perhaps students from the nearby London Met (table football is available to the rear); the pub boasts a capacity of 300. Ales: friendly and swift service, pumping out Hogsback’s TEA, Hammerton’s N1 and Five Points Pale which was much appreciated after a night on the Pride, though it was a bit of a banker-buster at £4.80 a pint. Far better than expected, this isn’t a bad place at all – I’d come here again if in the mood for something a little livelier though probably not on a Friday or Saturday. Despite the prices, the decent selection of ale and quality are an incentive, though the hard surfaces and enthusiastic customers mean that this doesn’t qualify as a quiet pub. It may too be one to avoid when the local football team is playing. One more thing: has management not checked its website? The name on the schematic of the pub is missing the second A, spelled The Hortia…

Official site of Horatia - www.thehoratia.co.uk

Large open plan bare boarded and split level interior. 2 real ales. Tiled picture of Nelson in one corner.

The Horatia is a decent looking pub situated towards the bottom end of Holloway Road. Once inside there is an oblong shaped room which runs to the rear,the bar is on the left side and the floor is bare boarded,there is a raised area to the front right,the seating is normal tables and chairs. There were two real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Adnams Ghost Ship,which went down very well,the other real ale was Doom Bar. There was decent background music playing and the TV to the rear was showing sky sports football updates. I was happy enough having a drink in this pub. Pub visited 25/2/2017

Dark,dull distressed interior to this pub.Nice original ties to the left as you enter so must have been a decent pub in its time before the salvage guys ripped out the interior.Only a couple of customers drinking but about 20 people learning to dance at the back of the pub.Adnams -Ghost ship and redemption -pale which was a bit tired.

Refurbished, and partly opened out at some stage to form a spacious bar with a raised seating area, mixed furniture and light gastro-pub decor. Darker lounge / games / DJ booth area under a lower ceiling to the rear. Nice tiled picture of Lord Nelson by the front door. Two of three handpumps in operation, offering Black Sheep and Tribute (£3.80).