There have been times in the history of pubs when the brewers who owned them seem to have gone through a fit of embarrassment about showing their age. Like pulling on an ill-fitting wig or slathering the wrinkles in make-up, pubs were crudely modernised.
It was good they got nice toilets, but many architectural features were lost, covered up by false ceilings, swirly carpets and brash décor.
As long ago as 1946, George Orwell imagined his ideal pub, The Moon Under Water, to highlight the criminal damage done to Victorian gin palaces by the ‘improved pub’ movement of the 1930s. And in 1973 the pioneering real ale campaigner Chris Hutt was moved to write a book called ‘The Death of the English Pub’ following further travesties inflicted by the modernisers of the sixties.
Right now, though, we seem to be living in a more sensitive age – at least as far as pubs are concerned.
The Grade II listed Denmark Arms on the corner of Barking Road in East Ham reopened in July after a 16-month Covid interruption, and over a pint of the house ale, Volden Pale, I could feel the history of the place.
It was built in two halves. The first dates to at least 1871, going by the census of that year which shows ‘licensed victualler’ Peter McArthur on the premises, along with his mum and sister.
An extension was built early in the 20th Century, and photographs from the time show the brewer’s name, Taylor Walker of Stepney, emblazoned on the frontage.
Since 2018 the lease has been owned by Antic, one of the new breed of independent pubcos that has focused on developing old pubs in the less fashionable quarters of the capital.
In typical Antic style the Denmark’s interior has been stripped back to reveal a patchwork of different floorings and to showcase some beautiful tiling featuring red roses across the back wall. Matching roses on the table are a nice touch.
While the partitions that divided the Denmark into different bars are long gone, you can now trace where they were and imagine how this pub might have looked 100 years ago.
Perhaps it’s not the cosy refuge Orwell prescribed, but restorations like this uncover a fascinating history and make that pint taste all the better.
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