One of Crouch End’s favourite pubs has closed

The Harringay Arms on Crouch Hill has been boarded up and may sadly have closed its doors for the very last time. The boozer, once christened “Studio 3” by musicians at the famous Church Studios next door, has had its windows and doors boarded up for at least a week now – with notices placed at its front. As of this week, the cosy watering-hole has changed its status on Google to “permanently closed” and its website domain has been removed.

In happier times the pub was visited by a host of rock legends including Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Roy Obison. There was even a gig there once starring cockney favourites Chas ‘n’ Dave.

In the 1970’s it was a favourite haunt of students from the Mountview Theatre School, which was at that time based in Crouch Hill, and as a result many TV actors and celebrities could be spotted drinking in there on a regular basis.

The pub is only a few doors away from the Crypt Studio, and was known for many years to tens of thousands of listeners to the popular “Sowerby & Luff” podcast. The duo nicknamed it “The Gay Legs” (a reference to the pub’s name which ends in “…gay Arms”)

“We sometimes used to record the podcast in the pub,” says Luff, “and listeners would often send messages to us c/o the Harringay Arms. On one occasion someone actually sent a cake to us there, and many followers from around the world made little pilgrimages to the pub if they happened to be visiting London.”

Luff’s co-host Georgina Sowerby, who manages the comedy club across the road, told us, “This is terrible news! First Banners shuts down, and now this! I really hope someone comes along and buys the Harringay Arms. It will be a sorely missed meeting place in Crouch End.”

Perhaps a few of the locals should now club together and buy the place. An increasing popular business model. But for the time being, farewell Harringay Arms. Let’s hope that you will once again “rise like a phoenix”.