Harringay online

Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Great Northern Railway Tavern Hornsey High St - it's been refurbed.. And is ACE go visit!

I went for a pint at the GNRT last night - mainly cos it was the nearest pub to Hornsey rail station - and it was the most wonderful pub!!!

I've been intrigued for a while due to lovely building and long, rail-related name but wasn't expecting much as it has had a reputation for being an 'old man pub' (no direct offence to old men intended).

It was just stunning and the most wicked pub. There was a fire burning (who'd have thought that would be a welcome sight in MAY, but hey-ho), games, they've got a garden on the go which will be furnished for use when we get a summertime, good choice of lager and none of the nasty crap Fosters/carslberg etc, and a simple menu that looks worth a go though I'll have to eat there another time. They do free gigs, there's wi-fi and the staff were friendly.

When I aske dthe barman explained that the building was refurbed a year ago but that they've only bee running it for the last 2 months. So maybe this is common knowledge but I wanted to make sure becuase the good people of Harringay should be supporting this venture.

Needless to say the building has been beautifually restored, has a glass ceiling to rival the Salisbury, lickable wooden floors and just the right amount of furniture in there to seat lots of people but not overcrowd.

As this weekend is set to be a wash-out, why not go check it out it deserves your custom!

They're on Twitter.

 

 

Tags for Forum Posts: choir, great northern railway tavern, pubs

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Once electrical issue is resolved there won't be a large smelly noisy generator out there and i'll be able to open it properly. This is now in the hands of the legal teams. Frustrating for me, but it is just how it is at the moment. T

Cheers Tony and good luck with quiz tonight. Sorry I can't make it but another time. 

Hello Tony, another choir member here - It seems that one of the major problems is that since the refurb, people need to walk through the lounge (our previous practice space) to get to the toilets.  Now that the beer garden is becoming more of a feature this will be even more of a problem - the glorious back room will always need to be a thoroughfare.  Sad to hear that people felt too intimidated to go to the toilet - I hope we're not that scary!

Tony I wish you well with your endeavours, I (I can't speak for the whole choir) have got over the bad feeling about being sacked from the pub by email after 8 years "because they were scared of the backlash". We have found ourselves a new venue.  It took one phonecall, not 20 but thanks for trying anyway.  We are now residing upstairs at the Gate, geographically your 'sister' pub and it suits most of us very well I think. 

I have vague recollections as a teenager in the early 80s straying from Camden and ending up in the Great Northern for gigs.  Historically the pub would have been very much a working man's pub as the local area was factories, workshops and railways before the Estate was built - my guess is that it would have always been heaving on a Friday night, less  busy on other nights.  I would have thought music events would fill the gaps.  I'm sure this pub is a survivor and will find a new regular clientelle to keep it going, but I don't envy your job in trying to find them.

Tony, pleased to see this forum being used for two way communication, excellent discussion.  For me pubs changed with the smoking ban and they can't go back.

Good work and I hope you win

I would also just like to add that my team and I are working 70ish hours per week each for less than half minimum wage to make this place work. That's not a complaint, it's just a fact. Matt the chef is out early morning at local stalls and markets buying the food that goes into the menu and Seb my assistant gets up at 8 to do the job of the cleaner even though he can be up till 2am the previous night sorting the bar. We do our own window cleaning, Kitchen portering and all manual labour.

We love this place, we believe in it too. 99% of anyone that comes here leaves happy and brings more people in next time around. Word IS spreading, and so it should. There is something good happening here and you should ALL be a part of it.

Don't forget, it's our maiden quiz night tonight from 8pm and you can follow us on Twitter @TheGNRTavern and like us on Facebook.*

Tony

*Links added by admin.

Isn't that illegal ?

What is illegal? Perhaps 99% of people leaving happy   in these austere times.... 

I think the reference was to working for less than minimum wage? It took me a while...

Yes, and to working 70 hours a week.

People have the right to waive that limitation - happens frequently in small businesses, food service etc. 

True and the internet/mobile phone technology makes us all techno slaves these days, hard to switch off from work! We are constantly available/connected...

The old boundaries of clocking in and clocking out long gone. But I do hope the guys at the Great Northern don't have to keep putting in such long hours or can afford later on to take on more staff once they are in a profitable situation. 

Sounds very Victorian. Do they have the right to waive minimum wage ? If so, what does minimum wage actually mean ?

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