The Bushey Heath Pub Guide

Welcome to the Bushey Heath Pub Guide. Here you will find descriptions of the few remaining pubs in Bushey Heath. For those of you who don't know our community, we are in South Hertfordshire near to Watford, and just on the border of the London Borough of Harrow. To help you out, here is a map. Bushey Heath used to have as fine a selection of pubs as you will find anywhere, but they are dropping like flies so come up here and enjoy the ones which remain while you still can. Some of the pubs are linked to pictures kindly provided by Paul Neascu (seen here in the Royal Oak).

And now Ladies and Gentlemen........ the pubs (and some other stuff). 

beer glass

The starting point for our trip is at The Alpine. This is the junction of the A 409 and A 4140 which is where Bushey Heath joins Harrow and is named after a very good Italian restaurant located here. The first pub in Bushey Heath on the left is:

The Windmill

This is part of the Harvester chain and is more of a restaurant than a pub. In the old days it used to be a pleasant pub but now has lost its atmosphere. The last time I was there the beer selection consisted of unremarkable Courage offerings. The food was uninspiring but other people must love it as it is always busy. It used to have a garden and probably still does.

Continue onwards about a quarter of a mile to reach:

The Inn on the Heath

This used to be the Foresters Arms.

Directly across the street used to be the Devonshire Arms. This is now boarded up.

Continue through the centre of Bushey Heath. 

Enjoy the shopping with small grocery stores, delicatessens, coffee shops, a furniture shop, clothes shops and pharmacies all here. Eat Indian, Chinese or Greek food. Buy a house, go to the dentist, buy a car and fill it with petrol. But bring plenty of money as there is not a bank to be found! We used to have three, now the nearest banks are in Bushey village or Stanmore. After all that indulgent excess in the name of Mammon you can atone yourself in St. Andrew's Methodist church or St. Peter's Anglican Church. This brings us nicely to the next pub which is opposite St. Peter's, the:

Three Crowns

One of the few remaining pubs!

This pub changed hands a few years ago and is now really excellent. The owner, Michael Duffy (seen here in the middle), runs a good pub.

The website has their beers wine and menu: www.three-crowns.com

 

Now you proceed down the hill through an area called Sparrow's Herne. After a visit to the chippy you can see another former pub across the street, the Queens Arms, recently called The Lazy Fox.

If you continue down the hill you will come to Bushey library. Here you can find books on the history of the area. Behave yourself though, as just down the hill is Bushey Police station. Directly across the street is the:

Royal Oak

The beer is Charles Wells. This is a good pub (or at least used to be when I last went there). Let me know more about it. Peter Barrett tells me that in the 1950's this was the only local pub with a beer and wine licence. (Thanks Peter).

Now continue down the hill past what used to be the White Horse. This pub is no more. After a period of decline it was closed. The building, which dates back to the 16th century, has been converted to houses.

Keep going down the hill. On left is what used to be the Horse and Chains.

Ok so you get the idea…Bushey Heath had loads of pubs, but they are now mostly closed. So let’s go look for two more closed pubs

Go back up the hill. Fork to the right at the war memorial at School Lane and go past Ashfield and Merryhill schools. At the end are footpaths leading across acres of farmland and golf courses. You can walk for miles here and forget that you are so close to towns all around. A pub called The Stag used to be in this area, but has been closed for a few years now. Follow the road around and head back to the Three Crowns and fork left along Elstree Road. At the traffic lights turn left onto Little Bushey Lane. On the right is the sad remains of the King’s Head.

After all that exercise, only to find dead pubs, I bet you need a drink!

So, go back up the hill, and turn left onto Elstree road. The final pub in Bushey Heath is hidden away in the side streets on the right. I will not give directions as a bit of searching will do you good. The address is in the CAMRA guide. Anyway eventually you will find the:

Black Boy

Before I tell you about the pub let's get the name dealt with. The name is not meant to be insulting and has nothing to do with a child's ethnic origin. Many years ago Bushey Heath had windmills (hence The Windmill, Windmill Lane and Windmill Street) as it was the highest point for miles around. In fact going northeast the next highest place is somewhere in Russia. Anyway, children worked in the mills doing the things that go on in mills and at the end of the day they were black with all the dust which covered them. That's what I was told anyway. This is an excellent, friendly, local pub. Many of the patrons are called John for some reason. They have guest beers which are often Adnams, Ruddles or Greene King and the like. They have good, albeit unexciting, food. A few years ago this pub won the Watford and District CAMRA best pub award.

After all that you need a rest. So go home and have just one more beer before the party is over:

When you are ready why not try:

Some Pubs of Stanmore

From Bushey Heath go to the Alpine and go straight across, onto Common Road. On the left will be an area of woodland which must be one of the hidden gems of the area. You can go deep into the woods and escape from the world for a while. You will find hidden glades with wildflowers and lots of wildlife, especially birds. On the right is RAF Bentley Priory. This was the RAF Fighter Command headquarters in WW2 and the operations room during the Battle of Britain was here. It is now the headquarters of No. 11/18 Group, Strike Command. There is a book which tells you more about this interesting and important base. Keep going and on the left you will see a cricket and rugby pitch. Many future Middlesex (and England) players get their start here. Just after this on the left is The Vine, a very cozy little pub. Keith (the Yank) wonders if anyone remembers him and his cocktail making skills, back in the 1970s. Down the hill a little way is The Abercorn Arms which has just reopened. I am told by Gary Carey that they serve Marston's Pedigree and Wadsworth's 6X, along with a variety of guest beers, that they have good value food like roast dinners, and that the customers are a friendly bunch. At the bottom of the hill on the right is The Malthouse, a freehouse which has beers from Badger, Batemans, Brains, Flowers and Wychwood. Then on the left is a fairly new pub, one of the Moon chain. Nearby in the Belmont Circle area you will find the Seven Balls.

Some Pubs of Harrow

From Bushey Heath go to the Alpine and turn right. The roads winds through the Harrow Weald woods. Trails here connect up with the ones across Stanmore Common. One of them goes behind Bentley Priory (see above). At the traffic lights used to be The Hare. Now it is a busy restaurant called Blubeckers. (Thanks to Vickie and John Highcock, and Patrick Forsyth for the updates). Turn right and in a short distance is The Case Is Altered. There is a large car park adjacent. From here you can look out across North London. This is one of the starting points for the Harrow Weald trail system. This pub has good beer, good food, a large garden and is recommended. It is next door to a stables and riding club and in the summer can be a bit 'horsy'. It now has a pool table which should dumb things down a bit. Across the street is Grim's Dyke hotel. This used to be the home of Gilbert or Sullivan, I forget which. There are ancient earthworks as well. The name of pub is a derivation of 'casa altera' (house on the hill). There is a pub of the same name elsewhere in Harrow and another one in Pinner. This latter one is like a country pub and is worth finding.

Some Pubs of Bushey

To get to Bushey continue down the hill from the Horse and Chains. You will pass by a public golf course and come into Bushey which retains some quaint, 'villagey', character. Lots of pubs here. One of the best is The King Stag (see the CAMRA guide), which will probably get a face lift soon. You could also try The Swan, or The Red Lion which is pretty good now, after the recent refurbishment. The White Hart is now closed and has reopened as a bar/restaurant called Delano's. Bushey has banks, restaurants, antique shops and a very pretty church (St. James).

Some Pubs of Oxhey

To get to the next stop on our trip continue through Bushey village, go down another hill and you will be in Oxhey, also called Bushey Arches because of the railway viaduct. There are many pubs here including The Victoria, run by Bob and Audrey, which has many real ales and lagers, a beer garden and a pinball machine. And even more important than that are the talented crib players in the corner, Daniel, Laura and Dave (The) King. Other good pub options include The Rifle Volunteer, The Villiers Arms and the Railway Arms. When you come out of the pub turn left (don't go towards the viaduct) and you will reach Watford Heath which has two very good pubs, The Royal Oak and The Load of Hay. If you have no sense of direction whatsoever you might find yourself completely lost in Carpender's Park by mistake. This cultural desert was parodied by Leslie Thomas in the classic "Tropic of Ruislip".

Some Pubs of Watford

From Bushey Arches follow the signs into Watford. (You will go under the viaduct and pass the new stores. There used to some pubs here.) Central Watford used to be a wasteland with no pubs in spite of its brewing heritage. Benskins was the local brewer. The old brewery is now the Watford Museum, which is worth a quick visit). However there are signs of life. In the high street after a busy day of shopping at the Harlequin Centre try The Old Westminster or The Moon Under Water.

Pubs Near Elstree

There is plenty of choice in the Elstree/Radlett area. Some to try are The Three Horseshoes in Letchmore Heath (a quaint, but busy, country pub), the Hollybush, The Plough and The Artichoke in Elstree, and the Roundbush in Roundbush. At The Battleaxes you can watch the private planes take off from Elstree Aerodrome. A nice pub is the Fisheries which overlooks Aldenham reservoir. The beer is McMullens, which is somewhat rare in these parts. There is plenty of parking and a good garden for the kids to play in. The Kevins and Sharons from Borehamwood and Watford don't come here so its a pleasant place to watch the sun set over the lake with a decent pint.

 

I hope you enjoyed this guide. Now go out and enjoy the pubs. For more information try to find a copy of "From the Wheatsheaf to the Windmill" which was published by the Bushey Museum Trust back in 1984. This book traces the history of all current and former pubs of the Bushey area including long since dead pubs such as the "Robin Hood".

Assorted Beer and Local Links

IMPORTANT. READ ME. Remember to be responsible. Do not drink and drive. The bartenders would be glad to call you a taxi ("Sir, you are a taxi"). Bushey Heath is also served by the 142 and 258 buses. If you must drink and drive, then drink halves and eat a meal. The pub food is good so enjoy it!

If you have comments or suggestions, or have anything you want to add to the guide e-mail me at patston@uic.edu . 

Disclaimer: This guide was created for fun only and could inadvertently contain wrong information. Feel free to disagree with me. I can add your comments if you wish, so that the guide is fair and balanced. The opinions expressed are mine alone and I have no connection whatsoever with any of the pubs except as an occasional customer. My employer has nothing whatsoever to do with the content of these pages.

Last modified June 20, 2007.

This page is dedicated to my father with whom I enjoyed many a pint.