London's getting a new comedy and cabaret venue in a historic former pub

an image of the green painted exterior of the Old Dairy pub in Crouch End formerly owned by Greene King — (Image credit: Greene King)

Sure, London might have an epidemic of pubs closing across the capital, but for some, it’s less of a simple shut down and more of the caterpillar-to-butterfly arc, reopening as something more glamorous and glorious. One such spot is a beloved North London boozer which is set to reopen as a pop-up comedy and cabaret venue.

The Old Dairy on Crouch Hill will relaunch with a series of Saturday night events, starting in October. It’s a Crouch End local who is taking over the spot for the initial run – Martin Besserman, who runs the Monkey Business Comedy Club will be hosting comedy nights for at least three shows this autumn. The first events will take place on October 31, November 28 and December 12 - currently the lineups are firmly under wraps as they finalise details, but more dates are expected to be announced.

The Old Dairy itself is a Grade II listed pub which unfortunately closed during lockdown and was taken over by squatters. Greene King who owned the establishment sold it in 2023 but it has been closed since. Originally built in 1890, the building gets its name from its history – it was once stables and cowsheds, with the outside wall sporting large panels depicting all stages of the milk production process, from cows grazing to the milk being delivered. It was sold and transformed into a pub in 1997, after ceasing work as a dairy in the 1960s.

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Mr Besserman wrote on Facebook: "We’re incredibly excited to announce that Finsbury Park Cabaret will be taking over the whole pub at The Dairy.

"We’ll be bringing you a series of exciting Saturday night pop-up comedy and cabaret shows, with fabulous performers, great entertainment, food and a fully stocked bar.

"The Dairy has been closed for the past few weeks, so we’re thrilled to be bringing this fantastic space back to life with a series of one-off pop-up nights."

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Hermione Blandford is the Content Editor for Shortlist’s social media which means you can usually find her scrolling through Instagram and calling it work, or stopping random people in the street and accosting them with a mini mic. She has previously worked in food and drink PR for brands including Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Gordon's, The Singleton, Lagavulin and Don Julio which means she is a self confessed expert in spicy margaritas and pints, regularly popping into the pub in the name of research.