London Pub Tour 45 - Hornsey: Great Northern Railway Tavern, Three Compasses and Hornsey Tavern

On a lovely warm Sunday I went to pay a visit to an area I used to hang out and visit some of the pubs I frequented. I selected this day as one of the pubs had just been re-opened by Fullers so I was interested to see what they had done with the pub. The location - Hornsey, the pub - Great Northern Railway Tavern (N8 7QB). I had fond memories of the GNR Taverm. This was a large pub with a beautiful wooden interior and a partition between the rear of the pub and the front. My over-riding memory was sitting drinking beer whilst a choir were practicing next door and hearing beautiful voices filling up the air. The pub though was in need of a good repair and it did close for while whilst undergoing a refurb. I never visited after the refurb but learned last year Fuller's had bought out the pub and it's been on my list to visit since.

I arrive early into the afternoon with the sun still high, and only four days after the official opening of the pub. The outside has remained the same with the etched windows and Fuller's have brought some of the lovely iron works back to life. I entered via the eastern door closest to the station and immediately could see the difference from before. The bar was facing straight at you and then turned down some steps, turned again and run all the way down the middle wall ending just prior to the conservatory area. This was now a large 'horseshoe' style bar. There were taps displaying about 6 beers on this short end of the bar. Walking down the steps and into the main pub area you are confronted with all the rest of the taps and 4 hand pumps. In all there were 21 taps serving up a selection of Fullers beer (Black IPA, Pride Unfiltered, Frontier...), some standard Fullers options (Veltins, Sierra, Kozel...) and a variety of small London brewery beers (N1, Crate). The four ales on offer were Howling Hops Chocolate Coffee Vanilla Milk Porter (Which was the first beer to run out at the Reading Beer Festival this year), Redemption Trinity, Sound Wave and of course London Pride. To go alongside this large offering we also had a large bottle selection offering the likes of Delirium and Kwak for the high ABV lovers.

I got speaking with the manager who gave me a taster of the Howling Hops Choc Coffee.....Porter which was okay but I really couldn't taste all those flavours in the one beer. I though had my eye on the Fullers Black IPA which I had not come across before but did know of its existence. The barmaid I ordered from tried to tell me cool kids don't call it Black I.P.A but Bipa. I'm not one for turning initialisation into words, and retorted do people come in and order ipa's or epa's? I took my lovely dark looking Black IPA, which came in 5.7% and cost £5.85, and walked to the conservatory of the pub. Now the area I entered the pub from seemed small and had a few tables. Then the area opposite the bar was more spacious and had quite a few tables against the wall. The conservatory area though is in a class of its own. From the four large high back chairs/sofas, to the grandfather chairs in front of the mirrored fire place, and tables around the outside. The ultimate piece was the stain glass windows on the ceiling. I sat down and just took in the look of the pub and though my pint had a sticky after feel it went well for the hot day and location.

I went back to the bar and ordered a pint of Brick Field Brown from Five Points Brewing which was also charged at £5.85. This was a dark caramel brown beer which has that sticky malty taste you expect. It was good but not a session beer. The pub wasn't that busy as it seemed a lazy Sunday and people were out elsewhere and perhaps unaware of this excellent establishment being open. The majority of people were sat outside in the beer patio area which didn't have a spare table. The back wall in the garden had multiple sloped roofs that make it feel like sheds lined up in a row. I would recommend people come visit this pub to see how a pub can be beautifully restored and brought back to be a central focal point. My only concern with such a large pub being run by Fullers and having such a large beer option is the knock on effect at the other local pubs. My next stop was to visit the Three Compasses (N8 7NX) which used to be the more upmarket Gastro pub.

The pub is a short walk and across the road from the GNR Tavern. The pub is beautiful to look at from the outside which a curvature to the building, and the white frontage fitting in nicely with the brick above. There are two entrances on either side of the pub. The floor is wood, with tiles around the bar floor and some bar stools available. The back bar is also tiled which I always like the look of. The pub is an L shape and the bar also, and the bar is made of a beautiful solid wood. The pub stretches back further than it's width. In the front half of the bar are lots of small numbered tables for dining and drinking. The rear has a sofa area opposite the bar which gathers around the fireplace but the rest is mainly setup for dining. The rear area has a sunlight and glass partitions which help the area look nice and bright. The pub has been refurbished since I last visited and seems to have become more food focused. Originally it would have been aimed at the city type who lived nearby but the area seems to have become younger and more upmarket which is who the pub are aiming at.

The bar had 6 hand pumps serving Pride, Knowles Spring by Tim Taylor, Rutterkin, Landlord, Last Suspect by Upham and Pride (again). The keg front was Carlsberg, Brooklyn, London Pale Ale, Pravha, Heneken, Stowford Press, East Coast IPA, Angelo, Poretti, Guinness and Amstel. I went for a pint of Rutterkin at £4.10. This golden ale had a slight citrus nose and quite a bitter taste to it, which they may classify as the zesty finish. The pub wasn't too busy and had about 10 people inside relaxing. This is Hornsey's oldest public bar and I don't see it being impacted too much by the Fuller's opening and should at least provide them with the need to up their game. The pub always has a good selection of ales which are non-gimmicky compared to perhaps the GNR Tavern's offerings.The pub was nice and airy and had a relaxing environment, with the furniture fitting in perfectly with the atmosphere.

I only stayed for the one as I had one more pub to visit which falls into the local pub category compared to the previous two pubs. The Hornsey Tavern (N8 7PB) is an ex-Greene King pub which I understand has been bought out and become independent. Upon entering though I seen that out of the three hand pumps, only one was on offering GK IPA, and bizarrely this was gravity drop and not from the tap. Just like the previous two pubs this is a large corner pub with multiple entrances. I entered through the front door where the bar slightly separates out the front and rear, but not entirely. The floor is carpeted with a dark colour and there is an array of low and high tables throughout the pub. Football was on TV and everyone was looking up at the many screens around the pub. The pub actually feels lighter than when I previously visited.

Since the only ale offering was GK IPA I knew I would be having a lager. The options were Coors light, Carlsberg, Stella, Peroni, Carling or Fosters. I went for a Stella which cost £4 and came in a Carling glass. The pub also served a variety of cheap snacks such as Space Raiders and Cheese Moments, so I obliged in picking up a few. I took a seat at an empty small table which had those accompanying small stools. There was a pool table towards the rear of the pub next to an electronic juke box. There were some cuddly toys above the bar. The pub was actually quite open and so felt empty considering there was at least 15 people in the pub. There is a small outdoor patio area which is mainly used for smoking and doesn't, as I learnt, lead to an outside exit.

I watched the first half of the football and made my way back down to the GNR Tavern to see whether it had picked up at all. The pub hadn't got any busier though more people were sitting inside as the Spring sun started to set. I picked up a pint of the generically named Lager by Crate Brewery and took up a seat again in the conservatory area. The pint wasn't that great as it had a strange after taste but it didn't ruin me harking back to fond memories of nights out always ending in the GNR.