The Lady Hamilton’s original name was the Old Farmhouse

THE Lady Hamilton pub drew on the story of Lord Nelson, the love of his life and their frequent dalliances in Kentish Town for its moniker.

But this week, it was announced that the now closed high street drinking establishment is set to go back to its Victorian roots – and will reopen as The Old Farmhouse. Pub group First Restaurant has taken on a £100,000-a-year rental lease and hopes to have the pub back pouring pints in the autumn.

New owner Mitch Tillman told the New Journal he had long wanted to add a Kentish Town pub to a stable that includes drinking establishments in Gray’s Inn Road, Fitzrovia, Hampstead and Maida Vale.

He said: “It is a stone’s throw from where I grew up. I would hang out at the Forum, drank in the Bull And Gate. It was my stomping ground. Today, I go to places like The Parakeet and Kossoffs bakery. I have long watched Kentish Town, and it’s been called up-and-coming for the past 30 years, but it reminds me of Notting Hill 20 years ago – still a bit rough but in a cool way.”

Plans show the ground-floor bar will include an Italian kitchen serving food. Upstairs, staff living quarters will be converted into bedrooms for guests, returning the pub back to its original Georgian use of being a coaching inn.

The current building – which was originally called The Old Farmhouse – dates from the late-Victorian period.

Mr Tillman added: “I am a big fan of respecting pub history and, where possible, returning to original names. It also suits our concept for the pub – it will be a proper, real pub centred round great beers. It will not be a gastropub but will feature homemade classic Italian food. It won’t be flashy – it will be a really friendly neighbourhood place.”

Mr Tillman has employed a husband and wife team of chefs from Modena, Italy, to take on the kitchen and they will offer affordable, traditional Italian meals.

The firm struck the deal last December but have been waiting for the landlord to complete some repairs.

They are now moving in for a refit and hope to open for business by October. The current pub had a spell as O’Reilly’s in the 1980s and 1990s, and from 2015 was known as Camden’s Daughter as the Camden Town Brewery used it to serve up their brews and had offices upstairs.

Kentish Town publicans Paul Davies and Kirk McGrath established the Lady Hamilton in 2018, and shut last summer. Mr Tillman said they plan to create a traditional feel to the ground floor and first-floor function rooms – and offer a boutique hotel in bedrooms on upper floors.

Mr Tillman added: “We are aiming for six boutique farmhouse-style bedrooms upstairs. We know there is the need for this locally, being close to central London and the Heath. People love staying above pubs – it’s much nicer than booking a faceless hotel. You can come in, have a drink, relax, be booked in by the bar staff serving you. The inn is part of the same British pub culture and it should be supported and encouraged.”

Mr Tillman admitted that the environment in the pub world was very tough at the moment – but said he had long-term plans for the new venture.

He said: “There is no doubt about it – it is a hard place at the moment. There are a number of reasons – rising costs because of inflation, business rates are high, we have to pay VAT, the effects on staffing of Brexit, the after-effects of Covid… it is a seriously tough business environment, and that is why we are currently finding opportunities to open new pubs, because so many people are now leaving the business. But Kentish Town is somewhere we know we can be a success – it is a great neighbourhood where people still use their pubs.”