A surprising fact? Our history of Gospel Oak boozer The Gipsy Queen, published the day it closed in May, is by far the most read (and shared) feature of the year. If you missed it, get stuck in here.
Some of the many reader comments? “So sad. I got married here. Was the best day. We fell in love with the place when we lived round the corner a few years ago.”
“Was our first local when we moved to London and we had the party bit of our wedding day there in November. I really hope it reopens and isn’t lost for good.”
“Sad to see it go. But this is what happens when people are priced out of a pint. Yet the Sir Robert Peel is going strong. Working man’s pub.”
Although a pub has occupied the site since the 1850s, the current building in fact only dates back to 1930s. Fast forward to the 1990s and Irish family the Brownes took it on, renaming it The Westport Inn after their hometown in County Mayo: a trad neighbourhood favourite for 22 years, uit was briefly reborn as The Bluebell (swipe) before sadly closing in 2014.
It then entered its current era, rebooted by the team from the smash hit nearby pub The Grafton, who rescued it and restored its original name. Its most recent owners were at the helm since 2017, with new management last year, who finally shut their doors in May.
And now the good news? It finally reopened at the weekend. You can check a reel of the very packed pub enjoying the Lionesses’ victory last Sunday here.
The interior – only spruced up last autumn – hasn’t changed, but, as Camdenist reports today, it’s now under the stewardship of Clapham Leisure, an “award-winning hospitality group” (they say on their website) started in 2013 by Jayke Mangion & Andy Bell. The pair run a variety of pubs and coffee shops mostly south of the river, but also the Wine & Charcuterie brand in Bloomsbury.
It will be interesting to see which direction they take their food offer when it launches. In the meantime you can follow their fledgling Insta @gipsyqueentavern
