This beloved Soho pub is closing for good

Another London boozer bites the dust.

Soho pub The Shaston Arms will be shutting its doors on June 15. In a statement, brewers Hall & Woodhouse said, ‘We are disappointed that after 25 wonderful years, we are sadly saying goodbye to The Shaston Arms in Carnaby. Our wish was to renew the lease on the building, but we understand that the landlord wishes to pursue a restaurant offer on Ganton Street.’ 

Though it looked like a Victorian-era pub, The Shaston Arms actually opened in 1999, and was previously a pair of shops. Run by Dorset-based brewers Hall & Woodhouse, the name ‘Shaston’ was taken from the Shaftesbury-inspired town present in a number of novels by Dorset-born writer Thomas Hardy. 

A number of other Hall & Woodhouse pubs in London remain, including the famous Ship and Shovell by Embankment, which is split across two buildings facing each other that are joined by an underground cellar.

Earlier this year another much-loved London pub closed, north-west London’s Ye Olde Swiss Cottage. 

Want to drown your sorrows? These are the best pubs in Soho, according to us.

The Ritz has been named the UK’s best restaurant at the National Restaurant Awards. 

And the UK’s first-ever cat café is at risk of closing. 

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.