Of the 412 watering holes that closed last year, 55 were in the capital – although it’s not all doom and gloom, there are still 3,470 venues to wet your whistle.
A new book details more than 200 of the pubs that have called time in the capital in recent decades.
Drawing on both online reviews and old pub guides dating back to the 1920s, Sam Cullen delves into their stories in London’s Lost Pubs (Pen and Sword £20).
The Pompadours, Harold Hill, in 2008 (Image: Google Maps)
Cullen, whose favourite lost pubs include the Zeitgeist in Lambeth and Sun and Dove in Camberwell, says: “As much as it’s sad that these pubs don’t exist any more, I wanted to make sure they are not lost to time by telling their stories, their history, and some of the quirky characters who drank in them.
“Pubs can tell you so much about social and cultural history.
“The book is a celebration of pubs that existed as a vehicle for looking at aspects of London life.
“My criteria for inclusion was that they closed within the past twenty-five years, and there was an interesting story to tell.”
READ MORE: Long-lost Romford pubs captured in historic photos
In Havering, the author picked out three much-loved pubs with interesting stories to tell, all of which have closed in the last two decades.
The Old White Horse, in Ockendon Road, Upminster, was the first mentioned – called a “landmark London pub” by Cullen, despite its “village” feel.
The building had roots dating back to at least 1826 – though the structure appeared to have been rebuilt over time – and Cullen said it had a “suitably traditional” interiors, with walls covered in old Bovril adverts.
It closed suddenly in Autumn 2022, despite surviving covid.
The Pompadours was also mentioned in the book with its “colourful history”.
Opening in 1959, the pub’s name was chosen by public vote – a nickname for a local Essex regiment.
However, Cullen mentions its nickname in the 1980s and 90s of the “Flying Bottles”, due to the number of fights that occurred, as well as the fact that the pub went through 17 managers in three years during the 70s because it was “so hard to manage”.
The Pompadours closed for good in March 2016, with a planning application to turn the site into 21 homes approved in 2021.
Last mentioned was The White Hart, in Collier Row Road, which was a “firm favourite on the Romford pub scene” after it opened in 1896.
The pub was briefly called Double Top when it was owned by the five-time darts champion Eric Bristow, and Cullen mentions kids’ play area that is often remembered nostalgically by residents.
Closing in 2006, the pub was later demolished and replaced by Tythe Court retirement flats.
With the number of pubs countrywide slumping from 75,000 in 1960 to below 39,000 today, Cullen admits his book could “potentially be a depressing read”.
He said: “These pubs are not lost as long as we have a memory of them.
“I’ve written this to make sure they’re remembered, in most cases with a smile, rather than being lost to the mists of time.”
Lost Pubs by Sam Cullen is published by Pen and Sword Books on January 31.
