Although this pub is not a listed building, it is a Two Star pub on the Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) National Inventory with an interior of very special national historic interest, and the description is as follows: “Built in 1881 as part of a very distinctive parade of shops with housing above: it was then the Winchester Tavern and later became the Winchester Hall Hotel. Inside, the great feature is a massive, glazed-in office surrounded on three sides by the servery. Its windows have the remarkably lovely, delicate etched glass with trails of foliage and depictions of flowers and birds. Originally there would have been a multiplicity of rooms and drinking areas. Most of these have been swept away but one screen survives (just at high level) with yet more lovely glazing. At the rear, through an arch from the main bar, there is a room with a diagonally boarded ceiling. The counter is original and has a number of doors for servicing beer engines in former times. Don’t miss the wonderful ironwork over the two entrance porches."

History in a name: The name comes from Winchester Hall, a late 17th-century mansion nearby. This and its estate were sold as the relentless tide of bricks and mortar engulfed the area following on from the arrival of the railway in 1867.

The Winchester featured on the Highways, Archways and Tramways: Daytime Crawl of Highgate, Archway and Kentish Town on 19 June 2010.