Churchill Arms: Christmas arrives at 'magical event'

15-Nov-2024 - Last updated on 15-Nov-2024 at 14:18 GMT

Magical event: Christmas arrives at the Churchill Arms

Christmas has officially begun at one of Fuller’s “most recognisable” London pubs, famed for its festive décor.

At 6pm on Thursday 14 November the Churchill Arms in Kensington, a beacon of Christmas in the capital, switched on its famed Christmas lights for the first time this year.

Crowds gathered around the pub, eagerly waiting for the big reveal, with this year’s spectacle including more than 50 Christmas trees and thousands of LED lights.

General manager at the Churchill Arms James Keogh told The Morning Advertiser (MA): “I just love Christmas – it’s the best time of the year at the Churchill and I think we’ve excelled ourselves this year.

Magical event

“We’ve got 55 Christmas trees and more than 300,000 lights – all LEDs obviously. The official switch on is such a great event – the whole street comes to a standstill and it’s just magical. Happy Christmas everyone!”

Decorating the most festive pub in the city is no easy task, the whole team at the Churchill Arms helps create the magical display, which takes around a month to complete, Keogh told The MA last year.

In addition, the general manager, who has been at the helm of pub since 2013, also said the pub has opted for a more sustainable approach in recent years by reducing the number of trees included in the display and by using LED lighting.

“Every year we add more new decorations to the outside display, which provides more enjoyment for our customers”, Keogh added speaking about last year’s décor.

Famous watering hole

As well as its beautiful Christmas displays, the pub is also well known for its flower arrangements, which are in place all year round, as well as its franchised Thai kitchen.

Fuller’s describes the historic Churchill Arms, which was built in 1750 and was frequented by Churchill’s grandparents, as one of London’s “most recognisable and famous watering holes”.

In its latest trading update, published on Wednesday 13 November, the London-based pub operator reported Christmas bookings across its estate were already up by 15% year-on-year.

See the lights switched on at London's most Christmassy pub in the video below.