The White Swan (JD Wetherspoon), N1

Tris C left this review about The White Swan (JD Wetherspoon)

Date of visit: 16th January 2022:

With Swan Yard visible to the rear, this was originally the Swan, dating back to the 19th century, destroyed along with the neighbouring Cock Tavern (rebuilt as the [Famous?] Cock), Highbury station and hotel and the end of Compton Terrace, killing 26 and wounding 150, when the area was struck by a German V1 at 12.46 pm on 27th June 1944; the current office building was built in 1962, with ‘spoons opening on 20th December 2000.
This used to be a bit of a kicking-off ‘spoons, but this seems to have been reined in, possibly due to the door staff. With the [Famous?] Cock next door, a McDonald’s, KFC and newly pedestrianised area, occupied by many of the less fortunate in life along with a mob of Deliveroo riders, this isn’t a great place at all and I only really popped in as I was busting for a pee, having studiously avoided a visit for 21 years. The interior is very large with a mezzanine, but it’s by no means the largest of the breed. It was almost empty and a bit tatty, with the descriptions below probably still applicable, certainly rather dated. A group of young drinkers was in, along with a very forlorn looking women sitting at a table, static and staring off into the distance.
The ale selection was poor too, the Greene King/Doom/Pride coven at one end of the bar, then two unused and just Ghost Ship and Sambrook’s Pumphouse at £1.25 a half and decent.
It you’re up for ‘spooning, the Coronet’s not far from here, likewise the Angel and are far better; with a short bus ride, the Rochester Castle has one of the best ale selections for quite some distance with, at the time of writing, Pumphouse at £1.99 a pint.

Rating: 3.

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A return the other night or two and the interior is still unchanged, but table clearing is now more efficient. Customers are greater in number with many younger drinkers, seemingly students but if so, from where I know not. The place is still staffed by many young girls, more interested in their phones and their perishing social network twaddle than serving customers, but an older - manageress? - was far more efficient and forthcoming.
What has changed though is the choice of ales and certainly the quality, with the likes of Sambrook's Pumphouse (nice), Windsor & Eton's Mandarin (excellent), Twickenham's Winter Warmer (excellent), Redemption's Fellowship (excellent) and Twickenham's Naked Ladies, also excellent and just £3.22 a pint, £1.40 less than at Sir Timothy's newly opened Captain Flinders and £1.60 less than at his Barrel Vault.
There has been an improvement here and this - believe it or not - with 'spoon's disposal of the nearby Coronet and Angel, has the best cask lineup in the whole borough, though not as good as N1's Wenlock, but that technically is in Hackney not Islington.
However, I just couldn't face staying here for an entire evening...

On 14^th January 2024 - rating: 4
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]