Randomness Guide to London - Differences between Version 8 and Version 7 of Great Northern Railway Tavern, N8 7QB

Version 8 Version 7
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A pub on the High Street in [[Locale Hornsey|Hornsey]]. It [http://www.harringayonline.com/forum/topics/great-northern-railway-tavern reopened following refurbishment] in 2011 and new management arrived in early-2012.
A pub on the High Street in [[Locale Hornsey|Hornsey]].
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This Irish pub occupies a grand Victorian building overlooking the High Street. Many of the old decor features remain, including ornate ironwork at the entrance, engraved frosted-glass windows, leather-banquetted booths, tiling and mirrorwork. The swirling designs of the ironwork are echoed on ceiling and walls, and there's at least one stained-glass skylight.
<b>Note:</b> The Great Northern Railway Tavern closed for refurbishment in early 2011. It's [http://www.harringayonline.com/forum/topics/great-northern-railway-tavern now open again], but our comments below predate the refurb; in particular, [https://twitter.com/#!/TheGNRTavern/status/181044555775348739 according to their Twitter account as of March 2012] they've improved the real ale offering. They used to do Thai food, but we're not sure if this is still the case following the refurb.
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The front part of the pub is broken up by steps (and a screen) into two areas, all with a mix or table sizes. At the back is a another larger open space with more tables, some large comfy leather chairs and sofas, and impressive mirrors and antique fireplace. There's a beer garden to the rear of this room with access to the lane alongside the pub (and which was being overhauled as of [[Ewan]]'s visit in March 2012).
This Irish pub occupies a grand Victorian building overlooking the High Street. Some of the old decor features remain, including ornate ironwork at the entrance, engraved frosted-glass windows, leather-banquetted booths, and privacy screens. The swirling designs of the ironwork are echoed on ceiling and walls, and there's at least one stained-glass skylight. Several TVs and flatscreens are set rather incongruously amongst all this.
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As of March 2012 there are two handpulls (one dispensing Purity Ubu, and the other Woodforde's Wherry), with plans for two more handpulls according to the manager. The Ubu was in good condition. Keg lagers were in the process of being changed from standard cooking lagers to more interesting choices (including Kirin and Hoegaarden).
The front part of the pub is broken up into a number of booth areas, separated by small frosted-glass privacy screens. A larger area to one side has a pool table (note: according to the link above, this was removed as part of the refurb). At the back is a more open space with a few comfy chairs as well as normal chairs and tables and a larger TV screen (possibly a pull-down projection screen?), leading out via a conservatory (which seems to be used mostly for storage) to a small beer garden. There's a bit more seating out the front on the pavement.
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The kitchen was also undergoing refurbishment, so on [[Ewan]]'s visit only basic fare was available, and he was offered a sausage sandwich (&pound;3.50), which was perfectly decent. A chalkboard listed other basic pub options (burgers and the like), presumably a temporary menu before their kitchen refurb is completed.
[[Kake]] and [[bob]] visited on a Sunday afternoon in August 2010. There were quite a few people in, but plenty of seats left. An orange juice and a pint of Greene King IPA (their only real ale, though they also had bottles of Old Speckled Hen) came to &pound;4.20. Football was showing on the many screens spread around the pub, with the sound up quite loud.
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Staff are friendly and helpful (and patiently answered my questions about the pub).
[[Ewan]]'s verdict: Nothing special, just a rather grey and dingy locals' pub.
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Accessibility: A step and a half up to get in at one door (on the left of the photo), and stepfree from there through to the toilets. Can't remember about the other door, but in any case there are a few steps between that side and the toilets. Two steps up and then more steps down to get to the beer garden.
[[Kake]]'s verdict: I like the booths, privacy screens, and old-school decor. I might pop in here again if I was passing, though not for an extended stay due to the lack of real ale options.
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Accessibility: A step and a half up to get in at one door (the side without the pool table), and stepfree from there through to the toilets. Can't remember about the other door, but in any case there's a step between that side and the toilets. Two steps up and then more steps down to get to the beer garden.

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<div class="last_verified">Last visited by [[Ewan]], March 2012. Opening hours taken from the GNRT website, March 2012.</div>
<div class="last_verified">Last visited by [[Kake]] and [[bob]], August 2010. Opening hours taken from the GNRT website, March 2012.</div>
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summary='Grand pub on Hornsey High Street.'
summary='Pub on Hornsey High Street.'

A pub on the High Street in Hornsey.

Note: The Great Northern Railway Tavern closed for refurbishment in early 2011. It's now open again, but our comments below predate the refurb; in particular, according to their Twitter account as of March 2012 they've improved the real ale offering. They used to do Thai food, but we're not sure if this is still the case following the refurb.

This Irish pub occupies a grand Victorian building overlooking the High Street. Some of the old decor features remain, including ornate ironwork at the entrance, engraved frosted-glass windows, leather-banquetted booths, and privacy screens. The swirling designs of the ironwork are echoed on ceiling and walls, and there's at least one stained-glass skylight. Several TVs and flatscreens are set rather incongruously amongst all this.

The front part of the pub is broken up into a number of booth areas, separated by small frosted-glass privacy screens. A larger area to one side has a pool table (note: according to the link above, this was removed as part of the refurb). At the back is a more open space with a few comfy chairs as well as normal chairs and tables and a larger TV screen (possibly a pull-down projection screen?), leading out via a conservatory (which seems to be used mostly for storage) to a small beer garden. There's a bit more seating out the front on the pavement.

Kake and bob visited on a Sunday afternoon in August 2010. There were quite a few people in, but plenty of seats left. An orange juice and a pint of Greene King IPA (their only real ale, though they also had bottles of Old Speckled Hen) came to £4.20. Football was showing on the many screens spread around the pub, with the sound up quite loud.

Ewan's verdict: Nothing special, just a rather grey and dingy locals' pub.

Kake's verdict: I like the booths, privacy screens, and old-school decor. I might pop in here again if I was passing, though not for an extended stay due to the lack of real ale options.

Accessibility: A step and a half up to get in at one door (the side without the pool table), and stepfree from there through to the toilets. Can't remember about the other door, but in any case there's a step between that side and the toilets. Two steps up and then more steps down to get to the beer garden.

See also:

Last visited by Kake and bob, August 2010. Opening hours taken from the GNRT website, March 2012.

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