A month of fun to celebrate the birthday of The Angel of Bow

In June, The Angel of Bow celebrates the 8th birthday of its renovation and reopening with a series of fun events to mark the occasion, including a birthday party, a solstice barbecue and a combined drag brunch and auction.

When Odette and Dominic bought the pub, it was derelict and had an unsavoury reputation. The journey to get it to where it is today has been a true labour of love.

Thanks to the extensive bombing of East London during the Blitz, much of the area has been rebuilt. But The Angel of Bow, built in 1938, was miraculously left standing at the end of the war and the building retains its wonderful character.

After an intensive eight months of refurbishment, Odette and Dominic opened the doors in June 2017, having created a unique and welcoming space for people to enjoy each other’s company.

To start with almost no one came in and it took nearly a year and a half to build the business. They have tried lots of ideas over the last eight years, and their full entertainment programme is testament to what they have done to make it work. The grand piano is also a crowd-pleaser with locals jumping on, sometimes still in their work clothes, to give everyone a performance.

The Angel of Bow even survived Covid by offering their locals takeaway beer in two-pint bottles and food, including a full Sunday roast.

The hostelry remains a community in its own right and while the team has hosted funerals for locals, they have also seen new babies, and many of the locals have become friends as well as customers. One of their first regulars has become such a good friend that they and the landlord and landlady spent Christmas together.

So, the Angel’s birthday celebrations are sure to offer lots of fun and warmth. Here’s what’s coming up:

Birthday party

Taking place on June 13th from 1pm, the day kicks off with The Angel of Bow’s weekly bottomless drag brunch. The brunch offers two hours of unlimited prosecco and a fabulous brunch dish, plus the best drag queens around. It promises scandal, outrage and lots of laughs.

The drag queen hosting the birthday brunch is award-winning Topsie, the alter-ego of actor and singer Nathan Kiley, who played Mary Sunshine in the West End production of Chicago. Topsie will also be around all day for even more fun and laughter and will be performing again in the earlier part of the evening between 7-9pm.

Later that evening they have a well-known local DJ playing house music, from 9pm until they close at midnight. The Angel is expecting lots of dancing and merriment.

To top it all off, everyone who comes along gets free birthday cake!

Solstice barbecue

The solstice barbecue on 20th June promises more good times and fabulous food. Taking place from 6pm to 9pm, the pub’s Manager Albion will be cooking up a storm with a Mediterranean / Cypriot twist. There will be a leg of lamb, butterflied and cooked on poles, marinated chicken, sheftalia and kofta, served with flatbreads and other sides including homemade taramasalata.

There will also be a talk on druidism and customers are encouraged to join in the druid fancy dress competition, with a prize for the best costume. Despite embracing the rituals of the druids, dancing naked in the moonlight will not be allowed!

Drag brunch and charity auction combo

Also starting in June, The Angel of Bow will, on the first Saturday of every month, be combining two of its popular attractions, the bottomless drag brunch and the charity auction.

Guest coming along to the drag brunch are invited to have a laughter-filled brunch with limitless prosecco, hosted by Christina Draguiler, London’s sequin-soaked Queen of quizzes, camp and chaos.

At 3pm they can then join an auction to view and bid on an eclectic mix of furnishings and one-off pieces, that have been hand-picked and lovingly restored. The auction offerings will perfectly complement the pub’s unique and quirky style with a mixture of artwork, furniture, mirrors and objet d’art. Items include Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian pieces, as well as contemporary treasures. Ten per cent of each sale will go to Shine, the UK’s leading charity supporting people affected by spina bifida, hydrocephalus and related complex conditions that affect the brain and spine.

Everyone welcome

The Angel of Bow is expecting great attendance from their regulars but all these events are open to all. Landlady Odette Gibson said: “This is not one of those pubs that gets cliquey. We are open to all and are fully inclusive. We welcome everyone, regardless of their race, creed or colour, sexuality or gender identity. (We even welcome druids now!) This makes for a really great mix of people, which is always fun and everyone gets along, which is wonderful. I’m sure this enhances our community and has been a big part of our success so far. I can’t wait to see our customers new and old at the June events.”

The Angel of Bow is a five-minute walk from Devon’s Road DLR, and is wheelchair accessible.

ABOUT THE ANGEL OF BOW

The Angel of Bow is a proudly independent, family-run pub in East London. Built from a love of sharing great food and drink with friends, The Angel of Bow has worked hard to create a welcoming haven. Preparing 98% of their food in the on-site kitchen, The Angel is proud to support local businesses and craft brewers alongside their own Angel of Bow session lager. The eclectic mix of furnishings and one-off furniture pieces have been hand-picked and lovingly restored and upcycled to create a one-of-a-kind pub experience. This eccentric style has recently been extended upstairs and they’re now proud to offer five stunning rooms in their boutique B&B.