Formerly the Moss Hall Tavern, this fine wood panelled pub with a U-shaped bar split into three distinct drinking areas has a quiet zone free of TV screens. Bar Meals focus on Thai food; there is also an upstairs restaurant. The two guests and the wide range of bottled beers are usually from the Fuller's portfolio. Darts, dominoes and other pub games available. Huge wooden pergola over wooden furniture on the front patio is where you can watch traffic go by or watch sport on the outside TV. There is now a courtyard at the rear of the pub. Quiz night Mondays, Pool night Sundays.
Landlord has re-introduced his 10% discount off all Real Ales for CAMRA members.
One star - A pub interior of special national historic interest
Listed status: Not listed
A large inter-war pub with a traditional multi-room interior.
Built in 1927 on the site of an older pub, this was originally the Moss Hall Tavern until renamed in the mid 1990s. Inside was refitted by the owner Fuller’s in 1991 and the interior is thus a combination of old and new. The servery, still occupying its original position, serves four areas and has retained a publican’s office. The left-hand saloon bar has old fielded panelling on the walls and below the bar counter, and there are some old internal doors with leaded glass. Around the base of the counter is a foot rest with, unusually, a brass covering. Above the servery in this room are eight plaster panels in the Art and Crafts style, depicting Tudor emblems
Adjoining the saloon is a small middle room. Some sections of the partitions remain and contain leaded glass. The woodwork in the larger right-hand room appears to date from the 1991 refit. Behind this is the large ‘sports room’, with a small bar counter with woodwork that may date from 1927. Upstairs is a room with fielded panelling on the walls and a fire-place with attractive tiling which mirrors the style of the tiling on the outside of the pub, and so may also date from when the pub was built. A Thai restaurant currently occupies this area. The top floor provided accommodation for the manager.
Horseshoe shaped bar with small central bar between left-hand saloon bar which has a large wood surround fireplace and a tiled hearth with a brass surround at its base with two large Fullers Advertising Mirrors on either side of the fireplace. At the rear of the room are the toilets with separate doors to the gents with its leaded glass top half and ladies which has lost its leaded glass. Curiously, between the toilet doors are three seemingly once external leaded windows. At the right rear are two sets of double doors on the corner, one leading to the restaurant upstairs and the other set of double doors leading behind the bar and connecting to the rear lounge and a publican’s office situated behind the three bars. Only this has leaded glass in the top half. Saloon bar has three-quarter height fielded panels throughout: its counter has panels of vertical wood (but new counter top) with brass covered foot rest. Bar back probably from the same date as the refit though the bottom half has been lost to cooling cabinets. Above the servery is an Arts and Crafts-style timbered overhang containing eight plaster panels depicting Tudor era emblems and motifs.
The small middle bar has a counter with different panels to the saloon bar and no brass-covered foot rest. By the left-hand screen (with leaded glass) next to the main entrance to the saloon bar is a smaller doorway which has been blocked of and hidden behind the fielded panelling with an air vent inserted. The top of the bar back looks modern.
Two narrow glazed screens (possible lost a door here) on the right leads to the public bar which has its own entrance by the corner of the building with a vestibule again with leaded glass. The servery here has a modern pot shelf supported by two turned wooden columns, modern counter top and the bar back looks modern too. The bar front has what looks like large painted panels which maybe from the interwar refit? Brass covered foot-rest similar to the saloon bar counter.
Another set of glazed double doors leads to the lounge at the rear which has a small three-sided bar counter on the left-hand side with different panelling to the other bar counters. It too has a modern counter top. There is a set of double doors from the side road but at the rear is a blocked off door next to some curved banquette seating. It looks like there were two rooms here now opened up. Again, the lounge has similar fielded panelling to the rest of the pub.
This Pub serves 2 changing beers and 2 regular beers.
Elephant Inn, North Finchley
Changing beers typically include: Dark Star - Hophead , Fuller's (seasonal)
Source: National