The Scolt Head, N1

This is a nice wedge-shaped pub nestled into the crook of a road junction, with the ‘thin end of the wedge’ cut-off to form a pleasant patio garden area with a high hedge border. Entering through the garden, you find yourself in the main bar area which is bare boarded and has the servery on the opposite wall. The bar has a dark wood counter and attractive matching bar back with some etched glass mirrors, an integral clock, a collection of ceramic jugs and the rather unique feature of various framed crisp packets. Bench and chair seating fills the front part of the room and includes on large table covered with a William Morris style tablecloth. The walls are half panelled and there are leaded windows and a brick fireplace, which all add a bit of charm to the place and give it more of a traditional feel than you might otherwise expect. A large instrument panel of indeterminate origin stands next to the entrance, providing some quirky visual distraction. Moving further back, there is a dining area through to the right, which is carpeted and has lots of formally set tables and chairs, another fireplace and lots of old photos on the walls. The rear left space looks like some sort of function room with a huge pull-down screen showing some live football, lots more tables and chairs and muted lighting, perhaps to enhance the view of the screen. There were vases of fresh flowers on most tables, colourful bunting hung from the ceiling beams and pop tunes played quietly in the background. I noted three cask ales on the handpulls – Yardbird Pale Ale, St Austell Proper Job and Crouch Vale Brewers Gold. The latter was a very reasonable £3.70 a pint and in pretty decent shape, served to me by a pretty surly barman who was the only downer in a pub that seemed to have quite a nice, friendly vibe to it. A decent selection of craft keg beers was also apparent on the long fonts running around the bar. I wasn’t really expecting to find anything much to write home about in these gentrified back streets, but I thought this was a very nice pub with some good beer, comfortable seating and an interesting interior that has mixed traditional and contemporary in an effective manner.

Quite an impressive façade, although you only see the top peeking above the tall evergreen hedges on two sides of the triangular front patio garden as you approach. Once inside, the square bar has bare floorboards and a mix of furniture, with further seating / dining areas to one side and at the back. Some original features survive, such as several green-bordered windows, and for reasons unknown, there are old electrical panels with lots of dials on each side of the main entrance. I found two of three handpumps in use, offering Greene King Yardbird and Proper Job (£4.00), with a reversed Crouch Vale Brewers Gold clip also noted.

The Scolt Head is a fairly large pub that is in a fairly posh looking area. There is a nice outside seating area to the front of the pub,once inside there is a decent sized single room which has two areas with the right side set at a slight angle angle,the room is bare boarded,the seating normal tables and chairs,there is also a separate room to the rear left. There were three real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Trumans Runner which went down well,the other beers were Crouch Vale Brewers Gold and GK IPA. Food was being served and the pub was quite busy on my Saturday afternoon visit. I thought this was a decent enough pub to have a drink in. Pub visited 11/6/2016

Exactly the same beers on as mentioned below except the Trumans Runner was turned round,the Brewers Gold was in good form though.It was rammed solid on my Saturday afternoon visit as the Tottenham V Arsenal game was in full flow on the TV screen.A large main room most of which is for drinking with the rear part set out for dining.I couldn't take in to much of the interior simply because of the mass of humanity crammed in wall to wall but it seems a decent enough pub and the bar staff were coping well with the demands placed on them. I would look in again should I be passing this way again.