This gorgeous retro-fitted gastropub has the feel of a 1960s diner – with air conditioning and friendly staff offering table service, and has now won a design award
A “beautiful” pub in West London has won the top prize at this year’s prestigious Pub Design Awards. The Blue Stoops on Kensington’s Church Street is a gorgeous retro-fitted gastropub, which has the feel of a 1960s restaurant with its booth seats and ambient lamps. The front of the bar is magnificently coated in vintage-blue ceramic tiles, their patterns illuminated by LED lights.
The Blue Stoops is Samuel Allsopp & Sons’ only pub in the capital and is the only London pub to serve its signature lager, as well as the famous Double Diamond beer, which disappeared from the market for more than 30 years until Allsops revived the brand.
Besides its eye-catching looks, the Blue Stoops is also a charming spot for those travelling between Kensington High Street and Notting Hill, just a few doors up from the Churchill Arms. The bar is air-conditioned, and friendly staff are only too happy to offer table service.
The Pub Design Awards is run by CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) and saw the Blue Stoops come out in joint-top place for ‘best conversion’ alongside St Peter’s Tavern in Liverpool.
CAMRA noted the Blue Stoops conversion “has completely transformed the building”, adding: “The interior has been re-imagined with half-height partitions and glazed screening, plus new fixed seating, along with a revamp of the exterior with new signage and lighting.
“The striking new ceramic bar front featuring the historic Allsopp’s trademark is a major highlight to this latest addition of West London’s pub scene.”
Andrew Davison, Chair of the Pub Design Awards judging panel, said: “Despite the increasing pressure on the hospitality industry, people are still prepared to invest time, money, and energy into pubs and bars.
“The Pub Design Awards recognise the extraordinary amount of effort, the imagination and design, plus high-quality craftsmanship which have gone into all of these projects. In these troubled times, the pub still has a key role to play in our communities, and those who are working to conserve, repair and renovate them should rightfully be applauded.”
Samuel Allsopp & Sons Brewery acquired the Blue Stoops, formerly named the Kensington Wine Rooms, in early 2024, and it opened in September of that year. Its name is a homage to the brewery’s original pub of the same name in Burton-on-Trent.
Jamie Allsopp, a former hedge fund manager, re-founded the brewing company set up by his seventh-great-grandfather. He told The Standard: “It has been a lifelong ambition of m ine to revive my family’s lost beers, and I’m delighted to open our first pub in 90 years. Allsopp’s beers are incredibly drinkable, and they deserve their spot not just at the taps of the Blue Stoops, but in public houses across the country.”
The Blue Stoops is located at 127-129 Kensington Church Street
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