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The Gilpins Bell, Upper Edmonton, N18
N18
N18 2SS
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5½ of 10) see review guidelines
David Walton left this review about The Gilpins Bell
Visited 12/05/25
Basic cask offering of GK Abbot and IPA with three unused handpumps from a set of 5 from the old JDW days. Keg offering of San Miguel, Stella, Carlsberg, Guinness, Cruz, John Smiths, Fosters, original and dark fruits SB, Heineken, Amstel. Beer prices were definitely JDW'esque.
I would guess that this place has been outside the JDW stable for at least a decade, but it still has the look and feel of a JDW venue apart from the food menus and beer options! As a venue it is a quite pleasant space with the stained-glass windows, high boarded ceiling and large centre skylight over the main bar area. The venue is, as you would expect given its history, carpeted throughout with a tiled skirt around the short part of the servery just inside the entrance and the longer length down the right-hand wall in the centre part of the main bar area. There is again a lot of Spurs memorabilia on the walls, and the venue isn't shy of a column or pillar. There is an area to the extreme right of the entrance with a different patterned carpet and offering some booth tables against the right most wall. Most here were seated in the regular tables and chairs along the front of the venue, and which turns right angled at the extreme left-hand end into another seating area with the same carpet at the extreme right end that then stretches along the glass frontage of the left-hand side of the venue. There is a large fire grate, unclear if still in use, in the centre of the venue and which on one side serves a raised and quite dark library like area in the centre of the venue up a couple of steps from the main bar area and opposite the servery. There is a large beer garden at the back, paved with regular picnic tables and which was popular on my visit. The walls, where not occupied by Spurs memorabilia, had a lot of the original framed JDW prints, surely only place where Glen Hoddle faces off to a William Cecil!
On 4th March 2026
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1340 recommendations about 1323 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Gilpins Bell
Having closed briefly back in March it's now reported to being run by the same people as the Coach and Horses down in Tottenham.
Visit May 2014
I stopped visiting this place some years ago due to poor choice and quality of ales. As a result I turned up today with rather low expectations.
Given that it's a converted motorbike shop it is a lot more attractive than your average dingy shop conversion as it is a large room with some nice stained glass windows at the back. There is also a decent sized patio at the rear left.
My problem with the beer selection turned out to not have changed much. There were two banks of six handpumps with the two GK beers doubled up, a cider, Wychwood Piledriver, Full Brazilian and Brakspear's Special available soon as was Banks's Saint Archer American beer. This left just Arundel Wild Heaven, Ringwood Filly Drift and GK Abbot Special Reserve. I went for the Arundel Wild Heaven which was the first beer I've had from this brewer that wasn't a sweet southern style beer (and I'm not being critical here). Sadly it wasn't entirely clear, but this is common for these "craft" beers and it tasted fine. I then went for the Abbot Special Reserve which was perfect. Both beers were only £2.05. This was incredibly cheap for a 6.5% ABV beer.
It seems to have improved since my last visits but could improve more, most notably with the beer selection.
I would imagine this place is a living hell when the nearby footbore team are playing. Apparently it only allows home fans on those occasions and plastic glasses are used. I wouldn't mind betting they bump the prices up as well.
On 19th June 2016
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The Gilpins Bell (JD Wetherspoon)
Large spoons with different rooms/sections and a beer garden. Plastic cups in use on my match day visit with bouncers checking I had a home ticket. Some Spurs memorabilia on display. Usual spoons deals and selection.
On 9th November 2014
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3035 recommendations about 2965 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
BobOs . left this review about The Gilpins Bell (JD Wetherspoon)
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.
On 16th July 2011
- rating: 4
[User has posted 370 recommendations about 355 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alesonly . left this review about The Gilpins Bell (JD Wetherspoon)
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.
On 19th October 2010
- rating: 6
[User has posted 132 recommendations about 105 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Gilpins Bell (JD Wetherspoon)
This is a Wetherspoons conversion of a former bike shop into a large corner pub. Has quite a large area in front of the main bar set up for standing and then two separate tabled areas to the side. Also benefits from a decent size patio garden out the back. Usual JDW beer and food range.
The standard Wetherspoon house ales are usually on with two or three others from the JDW guest list and the beer quality can be a bit hit and miss.
But in saying that it still means it's one of the best offerings in the local area and is always rammed on Spurs match days.
On 8th February 2010
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2322 recommendations about 2169 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john mcgraw left this review about The Gilpins Bell (JD Wetherspoon)
Large single bar Wetherspoon's with a couple of seperate drinking areas.Has a fair range of real ales and an outside drinking area.
On 17th September 2008
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2044 recommendations about 2025 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about The Gilpins Bell (JD Wetherspoon)
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.
On 2nd October 2007
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]