Located on the western end of Roman Road between Bethnal Green tube station and the Regents Canal this is a pub in the heart of Globe Town I never dreamed would reopen.

Much like the Weavers Arms a little further down the Roman, which closed in 1996, I believed the Angel & Crown was an estate pub that had served its purpose and was no longer of this time. I’m delighted to announce I was very wrong and its a pub that I’ve come to love and have a real affinity with.

Put up for sale in 2017 and closing a year later the pub was only going one way. As what can only be described as a problem pub, due to repeated anti-social behaviour, the operating licence was changed by the local authority. The pub had to close at 19:00 which spoke volumes. Like the Weavers, which is now an Islamic cultural centre, a change of use was a nailed on certainty for a hostelry dubbed ‘the worst pub in London’ in the Evening Standard.

Fast forward 20 months and under the stewardship of the ever friendly Landlady Melise the change is remarkable. Both the exterior, with a change from red to blue, and the interior have seen huge changes that make the building a warm and inviting space for all to enjoy. I’m excited for the local area to now have a pub worthy of this famous old road where the names of fallen treasures within a stones throw roll of the tongue with alarming ease.

The atmosphere is cosy and bright, helped by the removal of traditionally territorial depicting net curtains, light now cascades through the windows onto a cheery colour scheme. The flooring and wood finish really works, after jettisoning the old pub carpet, and the bar has been beautifully restored by Mel’s Dad. What’s most pleasing is that Mel tells me that many old faces of the manor have been in and love the changes, thanking her for saving their pub that they never thought would open again. You can’t have more of a glowing endorsement than that!

It’s been predominantly wet led since reopening other than one operator briefly dabbling in the kitchen but post-Covid catering will be fully managed in-house and subtle changes are being constantly made to further improve the pub experience.

The TLC pumped into the reboot is a joy to see and I’ve already found my favourite spot at the bar. Continuing the East End’s long tradition of drag there is a Sunday night Queenie Quiz but also a new contemporary feel that embraces the twenty first century. With the modern trend of working remotely, the pub is a perfect spot to work from with a coffee during the day before switching to something a little stronger as five o’clock approaches. I encourage you to get down here and enjoying this welcoming independent proper East End community boozer which seamlessly blends the old and the new.

Rebuilt in 1951 on the site of a Georgian hostelry, the new incarnation is an excellent asset to the local area with a diverse mix of punters and is in very safe hands to continue serving for many years to come.