New Cross local named best pub in Britain

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An eccentric local boozer in New Cross has been named best pub in Britain.

The Montague Arms - whose bizarre decor includes a human skeleton perched on the bar and an embalmed zebra peering out from a horse-drawn carriage - tops the list in a new book, the Rough Pub Guide: A Celebration of the Great British Boozer.

Aiming to put the spotlight on the few genuine pubs that have not been shut down, replaced by theme bars or by Gordon Ramsay-style gastropubs, the tome pinpoints a total of ten London hangouts which it says we cannot afford to lose.

The Montague has been run by landlord Peter Hoyle since 1967, when it was "full of gangsters" before he reinvented it as a community local with lots of live music.

Even Sir Paul McCartney once played an impromptu gig there and New Year's Eve celebrations include live renditions of London classics like The Lambeth Walk.

Other London pubs in the top 50 include The Foundry in Shoreditch, The Green Man in Harrods (yes, Harrods), the Palm Tree in Bow  and The Charlie Chaplin in Elephant and Castle.

The Windsor Castle in Marble Arch - a former favourite of notorious boozers Oliver Reed and Richard Harris - is also singled out for its "camp" and "cosy" vibe. Regular punters include The Handlebar Club of moustache-lovers.

The book has been penned by music journalist Paul Moody and Robin Turner, co-creator of The Social bar chain.

* The Rough Pub Guide by Robin Turner and Paul Moody will be published by Orion on 16 October.

List of London pubs:

The Montague Arms, New Cross (1)

The Foundry, Shoreditch (7)

The Green Man, Harrods (13)

The Palm Tree, Bow (19)

The Flying Scotsman, Kings Cross (20)

The Windsor Castle, Marble Arch (21)

The Coach & Horses, Soho (23)

The Intrepid Fox, Centrepoint (24)

The Charlie Chaplin, Elephant & Castle (30)

The Boot, Kings Cross (43)

Plus:London bar reviews

Plus:The London Knowledge

Pics:Hilarious drunk girls