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North London Food & Culture

10 things we learnt on a hard-hat tour of the Bull & Gate

An exclusive peek inside the famous soon-to-be-reborn boozer

Donning high visibility vests, we had a cheeky snoop around Kentish Town’s foremost Grade II-listed building site this morning.

Since the Bull & Gate closed back in 2013 its future as a pub has hung in the balance while battles to reopen it have raged on.

Thankfully, new owners Young’s did finally get the go-ahead to start renovations, and are now on track to reopen in early April.

We snapped a few photos of the work-in-progress, guided by new manager Rebecca Davidson who, until last week, ran Parkway favourite the Spread Eagle.

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So now, without further ado, we can reveal 10 things about the new Bull & Gate to make you gawp. A bit.

1. It’s absolutely bleedin’ mahoosive

With upstairs open for the first time in decades, there'll be twice the space there was before
With upstairs open for the first time in decades, there’ll be at least twice the drinking space there was before

2.The plush new dining room is going to seat 70 people

 

Looking through to what will be the restaurant
Looking through to what will be the restaurant, serving modern British classics. Gor blimey, guv.

 

3. And yes, the former ‘toilet venue’ will be flooded with natural light

 

Check those skylights, hidden in the days when Coldplay and Blur played here
Check those skylights, hidden in the days when Coldplay and Blur performed in this space

 

4. Chin chin! A new cocktail bar is being unveiled upstairs

Wednesday to Saturday there'll be singer-songwriters tinkling the ivories at a mini grand piano next to this reinstated fireplace
Original fireplaces being reinstated in the forthcoming Boulogne Bar, whose name harks back to the Bull & Gate’s original moniker

5. And the new stairwell will boast Kentish Town’s biggest chandelier

 

This hole will soon contain a staircase, leading up to the Boulogne Bar, complete with the big glass lights
This hole will soon contain a grand flight of stairs, leading the way up to the Boulogne Bar

6. No roof terrace (sad face), but the view from upstairs is still lovely

Historic buildings such as the former Fortess Road Post Office can be admired - once the scaffolding has gone
A vista including historic buildings such as the former Fortess Road Post Office can be admired – once the scaffolding has gone

7. Never fear, the original features are going to be rightly celebrated

 

Original etched glass is going to set the restored street-level bar room off a treat
That signature etched glass is going to set the restored street-level bar room off a treat once more

8. And Victorian details are being uncovered left, right and centre

 

Scraping of decades to reval lovely original woodwork
Scraping off decades of grime and varnish to reveal lovely original woodwork

9. Isn’t the outside scrubbing up well?

 

New gold leaf hints at how this iconic building is going to look
New gold leaf hints at how this iconic building is going to look

10. And finally, live music will return to the Bull & Gate – just not as you know it

 

From Wednesday to Saturday singer-songwriters will perform on a baby grand in the upstairs bar
Ooh la la! A baby grand is being shipped in – and from Wednesday to Saturday evenings singer-songwriters will perform in the upstairs bar.
The Bull & Gate reopens on April 10th. 389 Kentish Town Road. Find out more info on @bullandgatenw5 or via their website


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The award-winning print and online title Kentishtowner was founded in 2010 and is part of London Belongs To Me, a citywide network of travel guides for locals. For more info on what we write about and why, see our About section.

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