London Pubs Group

Campaign for Real Ale

Campaign for Real Ale

Angelic

57 Liverpool Road,
Islington,
N1 0RJ

Although this pub is not a listed building, it is a One Star pub on the Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) National Inventory with an interior of Special National Historic Interest, and the description is as follows: "There are good things to discover here even though this imposing corner-site former Watney Combe Reid re-built pub has been much modernised and opened out. It seems to date from the late Victorian years and this is certainly true of the surviving fittings. At that time there would have been at least five internal divisions, as suggested by the numerous external doors. The big delight is a prominent ceramic frieze which is displayed both in the left-hand part of the pub and above part of the servery: it has a cream surround and stylised floral detail.

There is a fine six-bay, columned bar-back fitting (with modern modifications) facing on two sides with some semi-circular pediments and alternating balustrade. The bar counter seems original but is now painted a lurid blue. If one looks closely it is evident there were seven opening sections (see the hinges and keyholes): such door are explained by the intention of servicing the beer engines in days past but why they are so numerous here (and absent on the left-hand side) is a bit of mystery.

Note the mosaic at the corner entrance. It is extended on the left to a what would have been a corridor off which various drinking compartments would have been accessed. If you look closely at the counter on the right-hand side, at the corner is a slot which would have no doubt housed a partition on this side of the pub."

The WhatPub link is here: WhatPub/Angelic

The Pub Heritage Group link is here: PHG/Angelic

The Angelic featured on the Rows, Squares and Terraces: Evening Crawl of Islington in August 2011.