The oldest working pub in N17 wins cask beer award

The community owned Antwerp Arms (known locally as the ‘Annie’) has scooped the north London branchof the award for the Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) Pub of the Year 2020.

The Antwerp Arms beat hundreds of pubs to this prestigious award, as the result of a vote open to 1,600 local CAMRA members.

The award was presented last month by the chairman of the North London branch, Colin Coyne, who said: “This Georgian building has been serving local people since 1822.

“The Antwerp Arms is the only community owned pub in north London and it’s a really worthy winner.”

In 2013, the Antwerp Arms faced demolition, however, the local community and CAMRA campaigners came together to prevent the developers taking action. Following this, the Antwerp Arms Association was set up, raising funds through shares and a grant, which enabled the pub to be purchased two years later.

The association is formed of over 400 shareholders who run the pub by electing a small management committee every September. There is a full-time manager and part time staff who run the operational side of the business, and volunteers who help with community work, maintenance, and gardening.

“[The Antwerp Arms] is a great example of local people taking ownership of, and doing something to keep what they value,” said Colin.

CAMRA formed nationally in 1971. It is a volunteer membership organisation with over 200 branches across the UK and 190,000 members, that exists to promote good beer, protect pubs, and defend consumer rights.

The Antwerp Arms is part of CAMRA’s LocAle scheme, which is an initiative that promotes pubs stocking local beers. In this case, Tottenham’s own Redemption Brewery is usually on hand pump.

Peter Passam, Antwerp Arms general manager said: “We are absolutely thrilled to receive this great honour from CAMRA. As a Community Pub we are committed to being a friendly and welcoming place run by our community, for our community”