The Brownswood, N4

Visited 29/07/24 Attractive pub associated with hotel near Clissold Park and its bigger brother (or sister) Finsbury Park and not far from Manor House tube station. An island bar with seating in the form of conventional tables and chairs around the bar. Stools to sit at the bar. Nice corner aspect. Outside seating area that attracted the lion’s share of the customers this evening and it was a very busy location. Felt like it had retained quite a lot of the original features, particularly the glass package! Big suggestion via signs and etched glass mirrors that this used to be a Bass house. There were plenty of beer choices. On the cask front there were five hand pulls providing Seacider (plain and a flavoured version), Five Points XPA, Tribute and Redemption Trinity (my selection and a very nice pint). Loads of keg choices – in particular, Camden Hells, Camden Pale, Hacker Pschorr Munchener Gold, Redemption Solar Pale Ale, Crafty Apple, Signature Studio Lager, Home of Lager (apparently an East end brewery) Pillars Pilsner, Guinness, Lucky Saint, Upright Session IPA from the London Brewing Co and finally 360 Brewing Sussex Haze (which I stopped for a final half here of). Yet another good ‘un in my opinion in the N4 post code area. Couple of other venues still to visit in N4 not far from here so will make a return visit here fairly shortly It had a lovely vibe as the light was slowly going on a mid-summer evening, but it would be worth trekking to at any time.

Originally built in the mid-19th century as the Brownswood Hotel for the Wenlock brewery. A first in here, prompted by it appearing on CAMRA’s heritage inventory for having an interior of Some Regional Importance and now without the noisy fan or black floor. It’s a commanding corner pub with much larvikite cladding (no, me neither). The interior is really rather grand. The floor’s boarded but the central bar has some fine carvings as well as etched mirrors, the bar itself being attractive and original. There’s an unusual coffered ceiling with ornate cornicing, as well as some great ceiling roses with ‘fern’ plaster embellishments. There’s an open kitchen to the right rear but there are at least two fireplaces, one is topped with a fantastic Bass mirror emerging from a wooden fireplace surround, probably added when the pub was surrendered to Charrington’s; other Bass/Charrington’s regalia remain and are probably original. The windows are of particular interest, as they are not typical picture windows, but arched and in quite deep recesses, punctuated by bare wood fluted architraves (see photo). There are some remaining etched glass screens with some t ‘n’ g panelling to dado height, painted battleship grey. Walls are either white, grey as a gastro nod, or with some trendy monochrome wallpaper. A sweeping staircase takes one up the first-floor function room which is a departure from the more traditional ground floor, featuring distressed brick and the modern lavs Furniture is largely conventional and lighting comes from quite traditional hanging iron and glass chandeliers. Customers seemed to be professional types and older than many of the customers in nearby trendy pubs. There were three ales on, served by a very friendly and busy barmaid who reminded me of Jodie Comer. For the record, three unused pumps then Tribute and Five Points XPA on great form and at a reasonable £4.90 a pint. Detractors will probably say that the interior looks like a tearoom that’s part of a Regency National Trust property, but this is a great pub and I’d be happy to stay longer. It would also make for a great stop after a visit to nearby Clissold Park, but by night would make for a decent threesome with the nearby Bank of Friendship and Woodbine.