Churchill Arms

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Kensington, London Fuller's managed house Next year, Gerry O'Brien celebrates managing the Churchill Arms for 25 years. His enthusiasm for the trade...

Kensington, London

Fuller's managed house

Next year, Gerry O'Brien celebrates managing the Churchill Arms for 25 years. His enthusiasm for the trade and for the Churchill is as strong as ever. He says: "I'm very lucky to have such a lovely, 'real' pub."

Both inside and out, the Churchill has all the allure of a Victorian pub. Inside, it has traditional wood panelling and beams with "snug screens" on the bar counter. The walls and ceilings are adorned with Winston Churchill memorabilia and other collectables that O'Brien has accumulated during his time at the pub. Outside, the floral displays in the hanging baskets and planter boxes have acted as a magnet for attracting customers, as well as consistently winning acclaim in competitions run by the Chelsea Flower Show and Great Britain in Bloom.

As a Fuller's house, cask ale takes centre stage with permanent fixtures being London Pride, Chiswick, ESB, Discovery and the brewer's quarterly seasonal ale. For Pride alone, the pub's annual barrelage is between 300 and 350.

The Churchill lays claim to being the first pub in London to have launched a restaurant devoted to Thai cuisine. That was 23 years ago and it is still going strong. The restaurant operates under a franchise arrangement and the same Thai family has been running it for the past 15 years, thereby ensuring consistently-high standards. O'Brien says: "It has been hugely successful and received rave reviews because it has been the same team working to the same standards."

The fastidious pursuit of high levels of service is repeated in the bar, which is generally staffed by a cosmopolitan mix of Australians, Kiwis and South Africans with O'Brien representing Ireland. O'Brien adds: "The whole team is responsible for keeping the standards high. I look for people who have the right appearance and personality. They have to enjoy what they do and be prepared to deal with all kinds of people. And they must understand real ale."

He is particularly proud that six former members of staff have gone on to run their own pubs.