Profile: Flower power at The Churchill Arms

The Churchill Arms in Kensington has been described as bloomin' marvellous. Phil Mellows went along to find out why.​

Gerry O'Brien stepped out the door of the Churchill Arms and turned his face to the sky. "A nice bit o' soft rain," he declared to anyone who happened to be passing by.

It was certainly a event worth remarking on. It had been weeks since rain had fallen on London and the unrelenting sun had bleached the colours out of nearby Kensington Gardens - but not at the Churchill where the crazy floral kaleidoscope of 54 window boxes and 39 hanging baskets continued to blaze like a beacon.

Gerry himself had given the automatic irrigation system some assistance, taking his watering can to the topmost plantings. But as he says, there is nothing like natural rain to keep the foliage fresh.

The dazzling flower display is only one remarkable aspect of a remarkable pub. Gerry is in his 19th year as manager and, through a couple of recessions, has increased his turnover each year - on bar takings alone. In each of the past 11 years the Churchill has been more profitable than any other pub in the Fuller's managed estate.

Gerry has received numerous awards from the West London brewer since taking its victor ludorum Griffin Trophy in 1989, including a special award for consistently high standards in 1998.

The Churchill was Evening Standard Pub of the Year in 1999 and West London CAMRA Pub of the Year in 2002. For the past three years it has won the Kensington In Bloom trophy.

Awards aren't the only thing Gerry collects. Not by a long way. Inside the pub you'll struggle to see the wall between all the memorabilia and bric-a-brac.

There are 105 pictures of Winston Churchill and a wall featuring pictures of every American president up to Richard Nixon - when Gerry ran out of space.

There are sections set aside for the pub's football team and cricket team - plus Gerry's beloved County Clare hurling team.

In the conservatory there is a jungle of plants that even Gerry is unable to count, although he finds himself watering them at three in the morning, and his collection of butterflies.

Wherever you look, the Churchill reflects some aspect of the busy personality of its licensee. Take the interesting display of old wireless sets, for instance. Gerry (pictured)​ traces this particular obsession back to his childhood on a farm in Ireland. "We had no running water, no electricity, just a wireless, and I used to listen to the hurling matches on the radio," he said.

His other main occupation, from the age of 11 or 12, was stacking shelves at the pub in the local village of O'Gonnelloe, County Clare. That was where his love affair with the trade began.

"I was fascinated by the Guinness," he said. "In those days it was served straight from barrels at the back of the bar.

"I had a fabulous time as a child but it was the beginning of the end of all that."

When he was 17 his mother sold the farm and Gerry took a job at Shannon Airport. His sister, meanwhile, moved to London to work as a nurse. Gerry took a holiday to visit her - and never went back. "The airport still owes me a month's money," he grumbled.

But now he had a new job - at the famous Prince Regent pub in Marylebone High Street, run by Michael Tierney who was to have a big influence on Gerry's career.

He stayed there four years and learned the profession, eventually managing the Drayton Arms for Vintage Inns. It was there that he started his butterfly collection, his display of 1,600 winning him a spot on TV.

Little did Gerry know that, from the age of 18, he was being watched by a talent scout, David Williams of Fuller's, who offered him a choice of two pubs. It didn't take Gerry long to make up his mind.

"As soon as I saw the Churchill I knew it was a real pub," he said. "I knew I had something to work with and I felt, in a way, that I was going back to the Regent and I could run the place the way I wanted."

Even so, trade was slow to pick up. "For the first year or two we had fellas here with scars on their faces and not a single woman would come in."

Slowly but surely Gerry developed the Churchill's role in what he calls the "real community", setting up football and cricket teams and attracting wives and girlfriends in on the back of that.

He was one of the pioneers of Fuller's franchised Thai food service - the food is, at least, one thing he doesn't have to worry about too much.

And he also began to exploit special occasions, perhaps what the pub is best known for among the general public, often earning him page one coverage in the local newspaper. Christmas, Hallowe'en and St Patrick's night are the regular high spots, and Gerry has also introduced a more exclusive celebration - Churchill night, which marks the anniversary of the day Winston became prime minister the first time.

For these events, the pub gets an extra layer of décor. "I can work until 4am putting up the decorations for Christmas," said Gerry. "This place takes exactly 800 balloons."

At Hallowe'en the entire pub is lit by dozens of candles. "I'm mad about candles," said Gerry. "That probably goes back to when I was a kid and had no electricity."

The events are really fabulous parties charged with Gerry's enthusiasm. He fondly remembers 1995, the year when Fuller's celebrated its 150th birthday, when Clare won their first All-Ireland final and the year, of course, that marked 50 years since VE Day.

"1995 was a great highlight. Our VE Day street party was the only one in Kensington. Organising it nearly killed me but we got front page coverage."

Gerry is such a party animal that you wonder how he can run such a successful business. The attention to detail obviously extends beyond the blooms and balloons to the back-office, and he also knows how to motivate and develop his staff.

The Churchill has six live-in employees, which Gerry says helps to create "a family atmosphere". Sunday mornings at 9am are set aside for weekly training sessions when his people are coached in the O'Brien school of running a pub.

"What you do behind the scenes is important," he says. "Five of my former assistant managers are now in their own pubs with Fuller's.

"We have fun here - the staff Christmas party takes a month to organise - but it's also about attention to detail, cleanliness and speed of service. I teach my people that they have got to have a pigeon's head, for instance, you've got to know all the time who's in the bar, who's got to be served next.

"It all takes a lot of work but the rewards are there. You see people go away happy."

Although the Churchill does screen some sport in one corner of the bar, a traditional atmosphere is important.

"There is no music here, all you can hear is the chattering, people talking. The bar is my front room, it's like a home, a way of life," said Gerry.

"People come to visit. Customers bring things in they think I might be interested in or want to put on the wall. It's like a village here."

Gerry has a rare combination of qualities, not just the captivating personality but the ability to nail down the financial and organisational side of a business, that makes you wonder why he isn't running his own tenancy or freehouse.

"I have thought about taking a tenancy," he admitted. "But I love this place too much, it's like a family. The Churchill is my whole life. I can't believe things have happened for me this way."

There is one more thing Gerry wants us to see. He disappears behind the bar and comes out carrying a pint of Guinness on a tray. He stumbles and the glass flies - but it's only plastic Guinness.

Gerry bursts into laughter. It's a joke he's played hundreds of times but somehow you know he'll never tire of surprising people.