The Colonel Fawcett: what to order and when to go

Short version: the Colonel Fawcett is at 1 Randolph Street, NW1 0SS, a few minutes from Camden Road Overground. Pints from £5.90, a Sunday roast worth booking, two gardens and darts upstairs. It takes cards only, so leave the notes at home.

What it is

It describes itself as an independent free house, with gin, craft beer, British food and wine on the list. It sits just off the main hustle of Camden Town, on a quiet residential street. Camden Road Overground is 200m away and Camden Town tube is 400m, according to CAMRA. One reviewer on Tripadvisor mentions an original fireplace and an old wrought-iron staircase you are not allowed to climb, plus a secluded garden at the back. The pub’s own site also mentions air conditioning, which is worth knowing in July.

The ghost and the duel

Legend has it that this is where one of the last fatal duels in England was fought. The pub’s drinks menu says Colonel Fawcett died here in 1843, shot by his brother-in-law, and that his ghost haunts the place. CAMRA and Camdenist put the duel in 1873 instead, and Camdenist names the duellists as Lieutenant Munro and Lieutenant Colonel Fawcett. The dates do not agree, so treat it as a good story rather than settled history. The pub was formerly the Camden Arms, and the drinks menu says the building has been a pub for more than 175 years.

What to order

• Sunday roast. The pub says it is famous for it, served every Sunday. Roast Dinners in London rated it the best roast the reviewer had had in Camden, with the roast potatoes the standout. Prices move with the seasonal menu, so check before you go. Reviewers advise reserving.
• Pints. There are 19 beer lines, made up of 12 keg and two cask, plus Guinness Zero on microdraught. According to the drinks page, pints are £5.90 all day, every day, for 40ft Brewery’s Sunrise pale ale from Walthamstow and for Amstel. Stout fans get Beamish, Murphy’s and Guinness.
• Gin. The pub specialises in it, and DesignMyNight says it stocks over 100.
• Margaritas. Two for £14 all day, every day, and margarita slushies are promoted as a way to cool off. The drinks page also mentions £10 doubles and cocktails.

The gardens

There are two, which the pub says is very rare in Camden. The back garden is fully covered and heated, with 14 tables. The front garden is partly covered, heated and a sun trap in the afternoons and evenings, so a sunny afternoon suits it.

When to go

• Monday: closed (except December).
• Tuesday: 15:00 to 23:00, food 17:30 to 21:30.
• Wednesday and Thursday: 12:00 to 00:00, food 12:00 to 15:00 and 17:30 to 21:30.
• Friday: 12:00 to 01:00, same food hours.
• Saturday: 12:00 to 01:00, food 12:00 to 16:00 and 17:00 to 21:00.
• Sunday: 12:00 to 22:00, food 12:00 to 19:00.

For a calmer visit, go on a weekday daytime or early evening. Saturday nights bring DJs from about 21:00 to 01:00, and one OpenTable reviewer said Friday and Saturday nights can feel like eating in a club. If you want the roast, book Sunday. The homepage notes a closure on Tuesday 1 September.

Prices and booking

OpenTable puts the price band at £25 and under, and DesignMyNight rates it ££. Book meals and garden tables through the pub’s booking page, or ring 020 7267 9829. OpenTable and DesignMyNight take bookings too. The pub is cashless: cards only, including AMEX. DesignMyNight lists wheelchair access and accessible toilets, but check with the pub first. Street parking is permit holders only during working hours, so use the Overground.

For after

The simplest answer is upstairs: Camden Darts Club, with one interactive board and two standard boards according to the pub. There is also a weekly pub quiz, and major sport goes on the big screens. If you want to leave Randolph Street, the Camden Eye is at 2 Kentish Town Road, NW1 9NX, by Camden Town tube, a small triangular one-room pub according to CAMRA. Check it is trading before you set off.