The Gilpins Bell, Upper Edmonton, N18

I love the cosy section in the middle - it's like drinking in someone's posh library. We used to stop here often for a cheap breakfast and couple of pints on our way into London, but the breakfasts took longer and longer to arrive and were colder and colder when they did finally appear. We've now decided to give it a miss in future and eat in town.

I went in this Spoons recently with a few lads that live locally for a few Pints and had a Pint of Elgoods Greyhound & and Two Pints of Abbot Reserve Both Ales were in excellent condition. This is a rather large Pub with high ceiling it looks like the fist floor was removed as I remember when this was a large department store in the mid sixty's and I seem too remember it had upper floors then. I found the Staff to be very polite & quick service as it was not too busy being a Early Monday night it seems very good in the week. I would not want too be in here when theres Football on at Spurs I'm also told it gets very full & rowdy on Friday & Saturday nights with the local yobs as well.

Randomness Guide to London - Gilpin's Bell entry

Randomness Guide to London - Gilpin's Bell entry

The Gilpin's Bell takes its name from an 18th century poem by William Cowper about a hapless traveler whose family journey to the Bell Tavern in Edmonton becomes an escapade of Basil Fawlty style disasters. The original Bell pub dated back to 1603 and stood on the site of what is now the petrol station on the opposite side of the road to the current pub. Many pubs came and went with various corruptions of the name until Wetherspoons (who else) opened up the version we see today. The exterior is rather charmless and dull as one would expect of a former motorbike salesroom. The interior is huge and quite a rambling place and if you are meeting anyone here you will probably need to do a few circuits before finding them. The main bar area has a high ceiling with false balconies overhead. A clock and large bell dominate the bar itself and there are bell motifs in the windows and various local snippets on the walls including lots of old black and white pictures of the area. In the centre of the pub is a cosy section with a mass of bookshelves and to the left of the bar, another quite homely section with a large fire and plasma screen. There is plenty of room around the edge of the pub with various alcoves and holes to bolt yourself down. Of course when Spurs are at home you won't be able to move and unless you have a home match ticket, you won't get in. The best option is to make use of the patio at the rear if you can lump the weather. The pub offers all the usual choices of cheap beers and food with a couple of guest ales and all the pros and cons normally associated with the chain. Beer quality is generally good and there is, to my knowledge, nowhere else within walking distance north of White Hart Lane that does any Real Ales at all so for that reason alone, it fills a large chasm. One small point - I have recently noted on my last couple of visits that the prices seem to be raised on matchdays. Either that or someone keeps overcharging me. Must query it on my next visit! Generally trouble free and service reasonable given how busy it can get.

Large single bar Wetherspoon's with a couple of seperate drinking areas.Has a fair range of real ales and an outside drinking area.