The Priory Tavern, in Belsize Road, Kilburn, will reopen on Saturday (July 5) with former head chef Glyn Bell at the helm.
Glyn had opened the pub alongside landlord Joe Smee in August 2023, but Glyn will now be running the watering hole with the support of his brother Gareth and a new bar manager.
The change in the management structure sparked the decision to go for a “fresher” new look.
Glyn said: “We’ve been running the pub for about two years and have built up an amazing and loyal customer base, but we felt it was time to take a look at what we were doing with a view to taking a new approach in order to ensure we were serving the Kilburn community in the way they deserve.
“We love the people and the area and we want to be a key part of its thriving life, so we wanted to relaunch with a fresher look and feel, and a new menu to make sure we are building the pub atmosphere that people had come to expect from the years The Priory has been at the heart of Kilburn.”
The Priory Tavern pub in Kilburn (Image: Digital Revolutions)
Glyn’s brother Gareth, a company director, said they did “get close” to closing but were “turning the pub around” and would be closed for a few days for a small refurb.
He added: “We intend for the pub to be part of the beating heart of Kilburn, and the new management structure is far more of a family affair, with it being run by my brother Glyn, with my support and the support of a professional bar manager.”
The historic pub, said to be a haunt of 1984 author George Orwell, takes its name from 11th Century Kilburn Priory, where pilgrims would stop on their way to St Albans along the Roman road of Watling Street.
Nothing remains of the priory, which was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1536, but the Victorian pub stands near its former site at the corner of Kilburn High Road and Belsize Road.
Built by Truman’s Brewery, the pub still features traces of its former grandeur with signs, lanterns and cream tiles outside, and stripped wood, exposed floor boards and a large island bar inside.
The new Priory Tavern team are looking forward to welcoming customers back on Saturday and to being part of the Kilburn community for many years to come.
Gareth added: “It is a boost for the local community that we are still here for them and the wider public.”
