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11-13 April 2025
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Following one of the hardest-fought battles in London to save a pub from developers and with, at one point, squatters in the pub, a long lease on the ground floor and basement of the building was granted by Parsons Green Land to the the DM Group, who, following an extensive refit, as most original fittings were destroyed, reopened the pub in 2015.
Today's Cross Keys is primarily a gastropub, but, as well as the tables laid for diners at the rear, there is plenty of space at the front of the pub for drinkers. The decor is dominated by bare brick walls, some half-height panelled and others decorated with stripped pre-used wooden doors and large wooden shutters (said to be from a Portuguese asylum!). The back wall is cleverly mirrored to reflect light from the skylight above. As well as bar stools at a plain oak bar, there is a mixture of types of dining tables and chairs.
Ales are from the Butcombe range. Food-wise, as well as a full menu at meal times bar snacks, including Scotch eggs sausage rolls and Welsh rarebit, are available all day. Prices reflect the location.
Historic Interest
A century ago the pub was the scene of the murder of the landlady Mrs Frances Buxton, whose body was found in the early morning of 17 January 1920 in the pub cellar beneath a pile of smouldering sawdust. She had been hit on the head with a bottle and then strangled. Suspects included the “Monocled Mutineer” Percy Toplis but extensive police investigations never led to evidence that would stand up in court and the case remained unsolved. Mrs Buxton had a reputation for eccentricity and her ex-husband had cited the fact that she was a Socialist and a Suffragette as grounds for separation! There is a mass of material about this case on the internet.
This Pub serves 1 changing beer and 1 regular beer.
Cross Keys, Chelsea
Changing beers typically include: Butcombe - Adam Henson's Rare Breed
Lunchtime Meals
Evening Meals
Garden
Family Friendly
Disabled Access
Dog Friendly
Newspapers
Smoking
Wi Fi
Real Ale
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