The Churchill Arms was an eye-catching stop on my Notting Hill walk: flowers above the entrance, people pausing for photographs and a traditional bar waiting inside. This short film, originally published on 9 September 2016, follows a visit for a pint before I continue towards Kensington.
Flowers outside the Churchill Arms
Before going in, I stopped to talk about the display covering the frontage. Hanging baskets and planting filled the space above the pub sign and around the windows. From the pavement, there was plenty to photograph without even stepping through the door.
The flowers were the detail that set this stop apart. London has no shortage of old pubs, as I said at the time, but this one made an impression before I reached the bar. Other people were taking pictures too, while ordinary street life carried on around us.
Inside for a pint
The film then moves from the bright street into the darker, busier interior. A wooden counter, beer pumps and people gathered at the bar give it the familiar feel of a London pub. There are details wherever the camera turns, from the glass in front of me to the objects hanging overhead.
I stopped for a pint, filmed in a Fuller’s London Pride glass. The camera catches the drink at the counter and a brief moment enjoying it, then looks around the room. This is a quick pub visit rather than a lengthy beer review.
Mugs, pictures and memorabilia crowd the interior, with red lamps adding warm light above the bar. The ceiling is almost as busy as the walls. The footage lingers on those details before turning back towards the open doorway and the traffic outside.
Back out towards Kensington
Outside again, I take another look at the flowers and head along the street towards Kensington. The closing stretch turns to the antique shops I noticed on the route, before the film ends with a pointer to the longer Portobello Road walk.
The original introduction also mentions the pub’s Thai food, but this particular stop centres on the building, the bar and a drink. The photographs here are stills from that 2016 visit, preserving its flowers and interior as they appeared in the film.
For another nearby archive stop, follow my visit to Boom Burger on Portobello Road in 2016.
