The Original Muswell Hill Wetherspoons in early CAMRA guides
I’ve written on my memories of the first Wetherspoons in Colney Hatch Lane Muswell Hill N10.It opened in 1979 and living around 15 minutes-walk away I drank there- mainly at weekends.
However memory is fallible. Recently I was given as part of a process of house moving some early CAMRA London Pub Guides. These do mention the pub and give a basic indication of its development.
Real Beer in London (1981/2) lists the pub as Martins and lists the beers as Fremlin’s Tusker, Greene King Abbott and Wadworths 6X. The last two at least were very hard to find in London at that point. It notes ‘real draught cider and other guest beers may sometimes be available’ and says it’s a clever shop conversion
The 1985 North London Beer Guide lists the pub as Wetherspoons and notes a ‘changing selection of guest ales and cider’. It says its noisy and smoky
The 1997 North London Pub Guide lists the pub as Spoons with beers including Abbot, Flowers, Boddingtons and Directors and notes the pub had been extended in 1994. By this point the pub is no longer listed as being part of Wetherspoons London pub estate.
45 years on its difficult to recall how revolutionary the arrival of Wetherspoons was. The model is now very familiar. Back then it was unheard of
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