Kmflett's Blog

It seems unlikely that the Starmerites who were purged by Andy Burnham on Monday knew the history of the pub they gathered to drink in,

The Grafton in Kentish Town is near to Keir Starmer’s home address (although his local is the Pineapple in Leverton St). Its also near to other well known local drinking spots the Camden Town Brewery Beer Hall (the Brewery is in Ponders End now) and Tapping the Admiral, a CAMRA favourite.

The Grafton may have been chosen because it has outdoor drinking in warm weather or perhaps to steer away from the media.

In the 1850s and 1860s Karl Marx lived nearby in Grafton Walk and then Maitland Park Rd. The pub dates from 1866 when he was at the latter address. Marx did write three volumes of Capital but he was not engaged in producing a North London Pub Guide. Aside from a well known pub crawl up Tottenham Ct Road (recorded by someone else) he did not record where he drank.

He was certainly however a lover of pilsner beer (available in London in the 1860s) and pubs. Its highly likely he frequented the Grafton….