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Housed in an imposing building at the corner of Church Street and
Bouverie Road, Steptoes has the appearance of a pub of substance and character.
The sharp-eyed will notice painted at the top of the building ‘The
Clarence’, as this was the pub’s name before the successful rag-and-bone comedy
TV series of the 1960s persuaded the then-owner to capitalise on the popularity of Wilfred
Brambell and Harry H. Corbett. Taken over by the Bedfordshire-based, privately-owned
Charles Wells brewery in the mid-1980s, it is one of the very few Wells pubs in North
London.
The interior of the pub is a curious but not unattractive blend of the modern — fruit
machines, electronic games— and the quaintly eccentric (the Steptoe connection)
— copper pans suspended from the ceiling, cello hanging from the wall, old
advertising posters, and so on. But the overall effect works, and there is an inviting
feel to the place, reinforced by the distinctive and extremely well-kept range of beers
such as Eagle, Bombardier, Pedigree and Speckled Hen, and good lagers such as Red Stripe.
The selection of malt whiskies is without parallel in the area, and the quality of the
wine has markedly improved in recent weeks.
Previously there was a small stage facing the bar, which gave the pub a slightly cramped
feeling, but this has gone and the layout of the tables is now sensible and comfortable.
It’s also a good-sized bar and this, coupled with the large, pull-down TV screen,
makes it the most popular drinking spot in town when there’s a big football game on.
Arsenal and England matches pull in the punters and Alan, the Scottish landlord, also
makes sure the TV is on when Rangers are playing (which could explain the unusual blue
baize on the pool table). The table is to the back of the pub, with another TV screen
(47inches) above it for those wishing to emulate Stephen Hendry’s stroke action, and
the beer garden is a quiet and cool haven in the late summer evenings.
Alan and his partner Amanda prepare a good Sunday lunch but, unfortunately for hungry
local workers, there’s no food during the week, the weekday clientele being too small
in number to justify the effort (a problem with Church Street generally). And no kids are
allowed in. The pub’s energetic and enthusiastic English Springer, Billy, makes sure
that dogs don’t get in either.
The staff are cheerful and chatty, with local lass Sheila always in good form and Graham
ever happy to discuss the fortunes of Newcastle United (you have been warned), and Alan
runs the pub with a firm but friendly hand.
Upstairs there is an impressive function room (which seems to be where a lot of the
antiques have ended up), with a good view down Church Street and a bar. It’s a
popular venue — the only one of its kind in the street — and it’s used for
aerobics classes, various meetings, newspaper launches, etc. Local organisations should
check out this room.
Alan and Amanda have plans to change the name of the pub, and would be interested to hear
readers’ views on this. The obvious one is the Clarence, but it doesn’t have a
local enough connection. Suggestions include The Daniel Defoe and the Abney Arms, and our
favourite is the Happy Fifer (although it’s some way from Alan’s home town of
Dunfermline).
Write in with your suggestion, if it’s printable, and we’ll give you a bottle of
malt whisky if you win.
All in all, Steptoes is a welcoming local pub at the centre of Church Street and well
worth a visit or ten. |
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