London Pubs Group

Campaign for Real Ale

Campaign for Real Ale

Traders Inn

52 Church Street
St John's Wood
NW8 8EP

Although this pub is not a listed building, it is on the Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) Local Inventory as having an interior of Local Historic Interest, and the description is as follows: "1839 three-storey ex Watney Combe Reid house. Brown glazed brick on ground floor, render on top two floors. At some point the building was extended down the Salisbury Street elevation in to what may have been a shop – note the slight different glazed brown brick on the ground floor. There were changes in 2008 when the upstairs floors were converted into flats – a wall was added front right for a staircase.

It is now a single bare wood floored room having lost two partitions shown on the plan of 1927 on the wall when the pub was the Harp. Has a splendid early 20th-century panelled bar counter with brackets all painted black – a small section of the bar counter on the right has been lost in the 2008 changes. It has a modern top.

The good coved bar back has two decoratively etched mirror bays and four plain mirror ones. There are two bays on the left return – there was a return section of two bays on the right – note the gap in the coving which indicates it was turned through 90%. Six ornate wooden columns support arches atop the mirrors.

The good fireplace in the centre of the pub is all modern but it includes two pillars that were part of the bar back and have decorative capitals – it is situated in a former door way. Two cast iron columns with decorated capitals. Best of all is the glorious colourful stained glass sash window to the left of the servery. The top window has a central pane of a water mill and the lower one a central pane of a cottage. Left of this, a good Guinness mirror."

The WhatPub link is here: WhatPub/Traders Inn

The Traders Inn has yet to feature on a LPG pub tour.