Skinners Arms

About Skinners Arms

A simple corner pub near King's Cross and St Pancras, with six real-ale taps and a curious camel figure on the neighbouring rooftop.

The pub's name, like several streets nearby — Judd Street is named after Sir Andrew Judd — recalls this part of King's Cross's past of cattle markets and tanneries, historically tied to the London guild of furriers, the Worshipful Company of Skinners. For years it operated as a tied house of the Greene King brewery, but it now runs as a free house, with six real-ale pumps and four craft-beer taps that rotate through small independent breweries. Its menu, cooked in-house, has a reputation for restaurant-quality food at pub prices, unusual in the touristy area around the two big stations. It's, above all, a neighbourhood pub for people who live or work in Bloomsbury and Somers Town rather than a tourist destination. Its most curious detail — and a regular talking point among customers — is the silhouette of a camel perched on the roof of an adjoining garage.