STEPPING through the doors of the UK’s strictest pub offers an instant trip back in time – before punters paid more attention to their texts than fellow drinkers.
Kevin Moran, 84, landlord of The Nag’s Head on Kinnerton Street in London for about 42 years, operates a strict no phones policy.
No children are allowed through the doors, and apparently hogging the fire is deemed a bar-worthy offence.
Other strict rules include no coats draped on chairs, no swearing, and no turning up drunk.
With just a sip left of my pint, Kevin told me I was hogging the fire, despite the fact he too was standing in front of its warming flame.
He added that it was normal to receive a telling off for hogging the fire for too long as he grew up alongside his six brothers.
In the lead up to being invited to leave, I’d had a somewhat pleasant time in The Nag’s Head.
Aside from the £15 minimum card machine spend, that is, which meant a trip to the nearby ATM.
The day before my visit, I phoned Kevin to ask if the rumours he was the UK’s strictest landlord were true.
He grumbled: “So what are you calling me for then?” and hung up the phone.
The Nag’s Head, down a quiet, picturesque road, was once a boozer for the stable hands and footmen who worked nearby.
Built around the 1800s it received a resurgence in the 1950s.
On either side of the pub’s front room are two narrow wooden staircases. One leading to an upstairs bar, while another leads down into another seating area.
I greeted Kevin and after some negotiations, which included being told to put my phone away, I asked about the collection of beers on tap.
He pointed to each beer and bellowed “Lager. Lager. Ale. Guinness.” and so on.
I thanked him for his generous explanation and ordered his finest IPA.
Then I was warned cash wasn’t an option, with the card machine boasting a hefty minimum spend.
Kevin explained he chooses the beers on tap and then passed me a beer guide which he features in.
He was kind enough to let me sit at my table with it.
In my cosy corner near the fire, Kevin pointed to a hook for me to hang my coat, politely, I would add.
But this wasn’t the same reception I saw another customer receive.
Looking around, it’s clear to see the pub is Kevin’s pride and joy – with war memorabilia covering every inch of the walls.
In reference to a TripAdvisor review, I asked Kevin why children aren’t allowed in.
He produced a loud wailing sound and said “no one wants to hear that”.
Kevin then took a small glass of stout to the fire and watched the room omnisciently.
He isn’t just a pub landlord, whether you like it or not, he is part of the furniture.
Although there was only a handful of customers, conversations felt open to the floor, with Kevin chipping in occasionally.
Be it to remind you of a rule or to provide you with a coin to try one of his vintage coin-operated arcade games.
You could spend hours in this pub, studying each picture, medal, and ornament which Kevin can provide a whole backstory for.
But it’s not for everyone.
If you’re looking for a family friendly boozer, to speak privately with a friend, or even to sip a pint while scrolling on social media, it’s not for you.
This is Kevin’s pub and Kevin’s rules.
As a former squaddie, he told The Sun: “I was a miner in Durham aged 14 and we used to to to pubs and working men’s clubs where you weren’t interrupted by people on phones.”
He adds that phones could be an “invasion of privacy” for his customers, especially if pictures are taken.
There are exceptions, with tourists usually allowed to take photos if they ask, but it’s up to Kevin if he lets them.
He said: “I make the rules and I don’t have to give you a reason. It’s my rules and my pub.”
Learned from his Army days, stationed in Germany and Scandinavia during the Cold War, he finds discipline lacking from many modern punters.
He said: “Coming in drunk I think is ridiculous… discipline is worse today than when I went into the pub game 50 years ago.”
Another reason is carrying on the tradition of the “real English pub” because, having travelled the world, he knows “you don’t get them anywhere else”.
He loves that The Nag’s Head is “still a pub”, in contrast to its chain-owned competitors.
The publican said: “It’s about independence. I think I’ve done well to achieve that in central London.
“You go to Manchester, Newcastle, Birmingham and the pubs are all big company owned so you get the same thing. There’s nobody who tells you that you’re a bit ugly or that you’re a handsome sod.”
Kevin says he won’t be retiring any time soon.
He mentioned his sons, so perhaps he’ll pass the mantle to them at some point.
After I left the pub, I spoke with a few customers.
Karl and Leigh, visiting from Kent, had been drinking while I was in the pub – I’d spotted Kevin tell the couple to hang their coats up.
Leigh said: “I put my coat on the table and he told me to put it on the hook. But I think he’s [Kevin] very old school, very very old school.”
Karl said: “Same, if you put your coat on the stool, you have to put it on the hook. He’s an old man isn’t he, he’s stuck in his ways.”
But the couple would gladly visit again.
Two brothers, visiting from Scotland, shared what they thought.
David said: “My brother took his phone out and he wasn’t very happy about that but apart from that it’s a nice, normal pub, it’s quite quiet and yeah it’s just a nice place.
“Probably quite unusual nowadays, with the phone thing, and there’s no TV but it’s good though, I enjoyed it.”
“We’re just visiting London for a couple of days and someone told us about it. It’s a nice pub, I’d definitely go back.”
Later on in the evening, I came across The Nag’s Head’s neighbours.
Emma, who works next door, said: “We have a good relationship with the pub owners and we’ll definitely go in and have a few drinks on a Friday and a Thursday evening usually.
“But we just respect and appreciate the fact they have the rules and we adhere to them.
“I haven’t had a negative experience there. Everyone’s really friendly, we often hear chit chats outside because we’re just next door, but it’s all good.”
Meanwhile, standing just outside the pub were two happy customers.
Ella, from Blackpool said: “I’m a northerner and I love it. I think it’s so cute but we have a Nag’s Head in Manchester – rough and ready, this is very cute and quaint. The guy is lovely.”
While Imi, a local, said: “The no phones thing I see and I actually think it’s a really good idea.”
Ella added: “I respect the no phones thing because people are trying to enjoy the environment and obviously you being on your phone isn’t very sociable.”
And Imi laughed: “I like it, I think it’s a good thing to enforce and there’s so many pubs in London, if you don’t like it, go somewhere else.”
