The Londesborough, Stoke Newington

For 4 years now this has been one of my favourite pubs in London. Before my fiance moved over here from Ireland, we used to go there for Sunday lunch before she got a flight back home. The food was always excellent, the service first class and the decor warm and inviting. She finally moved over here 2 years ago and we still frequented the Londesborough regularly for dinner or perhaps just a bottle of wine. We found out she was pregnant in March on a wet Friday evening and walked from the clinic to the Londesborough to sit down and gather our thoughts on how we were going to deal with this new chapter in our lives. We sat down the back, the Smiths were playing, the place was quiet as it was only about 6 and the rain falling outside in the growing gloom. It was a very memorable hour or so we spent there. So as you can see, the pub has always been very close to our hearts.
Then recently new owners came in and took it over and decided to re-decorate the place. It re-opened the weekend before last and we decided to go down for Sunday roast as was an original tradition of ours. The shocking decor that met us at the back of the pub completely turned us off eating there - we had a a drink and left.
Its probably well worth going to the Londesborough to see the incredibly garish new wall paper that festoons the walls at the back of the pub - we thought when went in that it was temporary wall paper while they were finishing off the job but to our horror were told it was permanent. The celings were painted a dull shade of grey and all the character the place once had for us was gone.
I don't know if we will go back there again. The staff were always first class and very friendly and thats not going to change. But on top of what one eats or drinks in any establishment, the decor is as important in my opinion and the whole experience has now been ruined for us.

5 Oct 2009 18:14