By Linus Rees
Journalist and author Mike Pentelow successfully completed his marathon pub crawl of Fitzrovia’s 46 pubs. Over six days from Monday 28 March to Saturday 2 April, Mike and friends visited every single one of Fitzrovia’s public houses.
Starting at the Green Man on Euston Road, the oldest Pub in Fitzrovia, and finishing in The Tottenham, the only remaining pub on Oxford Street. Mike also produced a guide to all the pubs which was published in Fitzrovia News.
One of the pubs due to be visited — The Albany — was actually closed for refurbishment so had to be missed. Instead Mike and friends ventured into an extra pub, the Dover Castle in Weymouth Mews, Marylebone.
At one time there were many more pubs than there are today in Fitzrovia. Over the decades, many of Fitzrovia’s pubs have closed. One of these the Bromley Arms in Cleveland Street still has its facade but is now an office. The Black Horse in Rathbone Place closed last year after its owners sold it. A planning application to convert it to a hamburger restaurant is expected soon and there are plans for the upstairs accommodation to be converted to flats.
The decline of pubs has been blamed on a number of factors. Partly because of changing drinking habits. There has been an increase in the consumption of wine and many people now drink at home after buying cheap booze from supermarkets.
Many people would not consider visiting a pub because of religious and other reasons. But public houses are also seen as an important part of social life. The Institute of Public Policy Research in a 2009 report found that people regarded pubs as a very important meeting people and socialising.
Interview with Mike Pentelow in The Tottenham on Oxford Street
Over six days…hmm that is good but more impressive if it was in one night…although death would have been certain.
Love how many pubs there are in London.