North London Food & Culture

Camden’s Daughter now open as Lady Hamilton

The Pineapple's manager Poppy Wheldon gives us the lowdown on their new Kentish Town Road boozer

So basically it couldn’t have worked out any better, could it? No sooner do we learn that Camden Brewery have sold their diminutive taproom Camden’s Daughter than the word is out that The Pineapple have only gone and bought it. Hurrah.

We can’t imagine a single reader being cynical about this – not least the renaming of it as the Lady Hamilton (although we still prefer the original name, The Old Farm House).

History-buffs will know the reason behind the choice in a flash: following his death in 1805, Admiral Nelson’s distraught mistress Emma relocated to Kentish Town to live near his uncle, roughly neighbouring the spot where the pub then known as The Castle stood.

The pub as it looks right now. Photo: SE

“It’s about celebrating Lady Emma Hamilton herself,” says manager Poppy Wheldon (main picture, above), currently at the helm of the Leverton Street institution (read a recent interview with her here). “After all, she was Kentish Town’s original escort and party girl – and the love of Nelson’s life. Escorts in the late 1700s were famous and at the height of female power over men, so this must be celebrated!”


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Indeed. With that in mind, the interior will be “dark colours and dusky Victorian burgundies and pinks, with leather comfy seats, and copper and dark wood finishes. Oh, and it’s going to be slightly feminist,” she adds, an “olde-worldy pub that’s very romantic and very sexy. Some of our wine and beer will have been made by women too.”

Ace. As with the nearby sister pub there’ll be an Asian menu on the cards, though this looks like it’ll be a more contemporary offer. It’ll be run by acclaimed Spitalfields restaurant Yuu Kitchen, set up by a former Nobu London chef, who’ll be on hand dishing up authentic Japanese and south-east Asian fare, from bao buns to Korean ssam and chicken karaage – “as well as bottomless Prosecco brunches at the weekends”, says Poppy.

And this time round upstairs will be used too, not just as a venue – comedy nights are already in the bag – but hopefully as a second floor to the pub itself. Well, the downstairs is rather petite, after all.

All rise, then, Lady Hamilton.

Lady Hamilton now open, 289-291 Kentish Town Road NW5.

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