The London Pubs Group
Promoting historic pub preservation and good pub design in London. Follow @LondonPubsGroup
Jane Jephcote at the Rose & Crown Clapham Old Town
The London Pubs Group was established in the early 1990s to promote the preservation of historic and architecturally important London pubs. Meetings are held regularly (six times a year) and are open to any CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) members who wish to attend. During 2025 the meetings will be held upstairs at the Trinity, 202-206 Borough High Street, Borough, SE1 1JX (the nearest underground station is Borough).
Pub tours are also arranged about six times a year and are open to all, whether CAMRA members or not. The tours usually concentrate on historic pubs but occasionally new or refurbished pubs are included in order to assess the quality of the design.
Pub Design Awards
In conjunction with Historic England, CAMRA's annual Pub Design Awards are made in order to recognise the highest standards of architecture. These awards encompass refurbishments, conversion to pub use, new builds as well as the Community Local Award (formerly the Joe Goodwin Award) for outstanding refurbished street-corner locals. The Conservation Category is sponsored by Historic England. They are judged by a panel of experts in design and conservation.
For more information see the CAMRA website: Pub Design Awards
Many London pubs have featured in the Awards over the years, and a list of those pubs is here: London Pub Design Awards
The 2026 awards to London pubs were as follows:
The Blue Stoops
Exterior
Bar Counter
The Blue Stoops, Kensington, (along with St Peter's Tavern, Liverpool) won the Conversion to Pub Use award. A conversion of the former Kensington Wine Rooms by Relic Interiors and Box Construction, has completely transformed the building. The interior has been re-imagined with half-height partitions and glazed screening, plus new fixed seating, along with a revamp of the exterior with new signage and lighting. The striking new ceramic bar front featuring the historic Allsopp’s trademark is a major highlight.
The Leyton Engineer
Exterior by Kim Rennie
The Leyton Engineer, Leyton. won the Refurbishment Award. Originally Leyton Town Hall dating back to 1895, the Grade II-listed building was converted to a pub and has since undergone an extensive refurbishment. The restoration of historic features such as glazed screens and the mosaic and terrazzo floors, have helped to create one of the most impressive pub interiors in East London.
The European
Exterior by Kim Rennie
The European, Leyton, was Highly commended in the Refurbishment Category. The introduction of a traditional bar back, bespoke upholstered pew seating and the careful choice of the paint scheme both inside and outside have helped restore the aesthetic of a traditional Victorian pub, while the creation of an open kitchen on the ground floor has introduced a new focal point.
The Duke of York
Exterior
The Duke of York, Fitzrovia, was Commended in the Refurbishment Category. McMullen’s brewery stripped the building back to its bare bones and fully refurbished it, including repairs to fix the pavement from falling into the cellar! The outstanding feature of the pub’s refurbishment is the highly impressive ceramic tiled bar counter, which acts as the main focus in the ground-floor bar.
The Lord Southampton
Exterior
The Lord Southampton, Kentish Town, won the Community Local Award (formerly the Joe Goodwin Award). In near-derelict condition, owners Aimee Brown and Phil Harrington took on the lease of the pub, (originally built in the 1850s) and underwent extensive repairs. The original floorboards and wall-panelling were restored, the bar area upgraded, and new hand painted signage was commissioned. It is also a One Star pub on the Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) National Inventory with an interior of special national historic interest, and the detailed description can be seen here: CAMRA/Lord Southampton.
Next Pub Tour
Saturday 17 October 2026 - Daytime Pub Tour of Bromley, Petts Wood and Orpington
Daylight Inn
The previous pub tour was...
Wednesday 19 August 2026 - Many Happy Returns: Albina's Birthday Evening Pub Tour of New and Resurrected Pubs on the Mildmay Line
Cock Tavern
London's Heritage Pubs
The CAMRA Pub Heritage Group (PHG) maintains a National Inventory of those pubs that contain interiors of historic importance. They are separated into three categories: those with an interior of outstanding national historic importance (Three Star); those with an interior of very special national historic interest (Two Star); and those with an interior of special national historic interest (One Star). Unfortunately the PHG website does not have a list of all London's heritage pubs, but can produce a list of those pubs within a 25 mile radius of the centre of London. This list inevitably includes about 30 pubs that are not within our definition of London (i.e. the London boroughs), but are nonetheless certainly worth visiting. The listing is here: London Listing.
The London Pubs Group maintains a fourth category of those pubs that do not meet the requirements for the three categories maintained by the PHG, or are awaiting assessment for promotion to those categories. This is known as the London Local Inventory. The London listing, including all four categories and lists for London boroughs, is here: London's National and Local Inventories (although all the pubs currently on the London Local Inventory are listed, in some cases the information is not yet complete). The Local Inventory Selection Criteria is here: Local Inventory Criteria
Published in June 2025, and edited by Neil Pettigrew and Rex Ward, "London's Real Heritage Pubs: Pub Interiors of Special Historic Interest" features 249 One, Two, or Three Star National Inventory pubs in London. The pubs range from simple 'time-warp' inns to ornate Victorian drinking palaces - plus intact interiors from the inter-war and later years, which we once took for granted but are now increasingly rare. This guide champions the need to celebrate, understand and protect the genuine pub heritage we have left.
It is available from the CAMRA Shop for £8.99, or £6.99 for CAMRA members, plus £3.60 postage and packing.
Campaigning to save historic London pubs
Many historic pubs in the capital have been closed down for redevelopment spelling the loss of centuries of heritage.
Saving Your Local Pub
CAMRA has produced a comprehensive guide spelling out the processes that can be used to attempt to save a threatened pub. It can be found here: Saving Your Local Pub
Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017
The Lords introduced an amendment to the Neighbourhood planning Bill that would remove certain permitted development rights. The Government adopted the changes, bringing them into force by way of a Statutory instrument. Thus with effect from 23 May 2017 owners or developers were prevented from demolishing a pub, or changing its use to anything else, without first obtaining planning permission. This was a massive campaigning success.
London Plan 2021
In March 2021 the New London Plan was adopted. Policy HC7 of the Plan, and its supporting paragraphs, provides a robust pub protection policy to which Local Planning Authorities should adhere. The policy is at pages 308 to 311 of the Plan, and the complete document can be seen here: London Plan 2021
Articles on Historic London Pubs
LPG Pub Tour at the Eastbrook Dagenham
Articles on heritage pubs are always welcome. We currently have a number of articles including one on the artist Mick Smee, who has produced a number of paintings of heritage pub interiors.
If you wish to submit an article and/or a photo for this page, please e-mail them to Jane Jephcote at ku.gro.armac.puorgsbupnodnol@ofni
- Read the Articles