The Craft Beer Co has refurbished and rebranded its east London establishment, naming it for the Labour prime minister while delivering a packed events schedule to attract the punters
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When Clement Attlee was prime minister, a pint of beer in London cost roughly 7d.
Factoring in conversion to new pence and inflation, that’s equivalent to about £2.65 today.
Given vastly increased costs across the hospitality sector these days, most people approaching a bar in east London don’t expect to come away with much change from £7.
Consequently, buying a pint of The Clem Pale at recently refreshed pub The Clement Attlee beside Limehouse Station for £3.95, does feel a little like time travel.
The Craft Beer Co has renamed the establishment in honour of the Labour leader, who was MP for Limehouse from 1935 to 1955 and has taken its exterior back to an aesthetic aimed at recalling its 1939 livery as The Railway Tavern.
That name is also immortalised in the tiled floor of the establishment following its glow-up.
The Clem inside, however is sleek and modern – polished wooden tables and a bar to match, replete with plenty of warm lighting and worn copper.
“This is the result of a staggered rebrand as we remained open throughout,” said Jon Huddart, marketing operations manager.
“We’d been trading as the Craft Beer Co at the site since 2016 and thought it was time for a name change, some new signs and maybe a lick of paint.
“But that project spiralled into new chairs and tables, a new bar and the installation of TV screens so we can show sport or films in different parts of the pub.
“We’re still very much part of the Craft Beer Co, but we wanted to take the place back to how it looked outside in 1939.
“Clement Attlee was Labour prime minister from 1945 until 1951, succeeding Winston Churchill, and his constituency was Limehouse, so it felt like a fitting name and not one represented by a pub locally.
“Whatever your politics, there’s no denying he was a great man and implemented some amazing things, like the introduction of the NHS.
“Shortened to The Clem, it’s got a nice ring to it.”
Founded by school friends Martin Hayes and Peter Slezak, the Craft Beer Co has grown from its origins in Clerkenwell to run seven sites in London.
an independent venue showcasing independent beers
“We’re fully independent – there’s no outside investment,” said Jon, who began his career with the business as general manager in the Clerkenwell venue.
“A lot of the craft beer brands weren’t around back then, so the founders took over a pub and started selling independently brewed beers and importing products from America, Germany and Belgium – it grew from there.
“Today we still stand for brilliant pubs with great atmosphere, drinks and service.
“We only serve beer from small, independent producers – even the crisps on the bar come from small farms.
“For example, we don’t serve Guinness but we have a really strong alternative called London Black, brewed by Anspach And Hobday based in Bermondsey.
“Jack Hobday was actually one of our managers and you’ll find their beers across our sites.
“Our stance is that we’ll deal with any brewery which is independent, as long as their beer’s good and they’re nice people.
“The minute they get sold to a giant company, we cut ties, because that’s not what our customers expect us to serve.”
There has been much consolidation in the market – Camden Hells, Beavertown and Meantime, all going to big multinationals, for instance – but Jon is confident in the enduring appeal of small operations pouring maximum effort into their brews.
high quality products at The Clement Attlee
“Most of the breweries we deal with have fewer than 10 people working for them,” he said.
“It might be a father and son outfit or a couple of brothers – perhaps a few guys in packing and a couple of brewers.
“There are still a heck of a lot of breweries in London, with new ones opening.
“Craft beer – technically less than six million barrels a year – is a premium product.
“A lot of time and effort has gone into it, which does come with a price tag.”
Cask beers currently on offer include the likes of Mum’s The Word by Siren and Manchester Bitter by Manchester Marble Brew with Pilsner by Flensberg and Sloop Juice by Bianca Road in kegs.
While the pub rotates options to ensure a range of flavours for drinkers to explore, The Clem Pale from Kent Brewery is always on for £3.95 a pint.
These days, there’s also a bit more to the place than just the beer.
Spread over two floors, including a secluded first-floor terrace complete with strings of lights and vintage signs, the pub is a broad church.
drinking, dining and events
“It’s not enough these days just to open the doors and hope people will come in, despite us being right opposite the station,” said Jon.
“We wanted to make it a hub for all sorts of different things going on with weekly and monthly events.
“We host a quiz on Tuesdays and short film nights every month.
“These often feature question and answer sessions with directors on the Wednesdays they take place.
“Then, on the first Thursday of the month we host a comedy night with a rotating line-up of comedians.
“There’ll be four of five acts – at least one will usually have done some TV or been on Live At The Apollo.
“Every Friday, from 8pm, we have live music and then on Sunday we have folk – it’s a really nice vibe.
“Our chef, Arturo Camacho, is originally from Ecuador and has worked under Gordon Ramsay at the Savoy Grill and London House and at Bancone in Covent Garden.
“It was great timing that we found each other and we were able to franchise out the kitchen to him.
“He and his team serve a mixture of English pub grub – burgers, fish and chips and Sunday roasts – alongside South American flavours.
“I’m biased, but his tacos are really good.
“One American guest who had tried tacos all over the world said they were the best he’d had outside Texas.
“The food here is something that’s really growing and we’re seeing more and more diners week-on-week.
“The events we run are all loosely based around drinking and that’s key because one of the most important things to us is our relationship with the small breweries that supply us.
“Take Siren in Reading, for example. We were the first pub in London to sell its beer after they started up in 2015.
“It’s a really good relationship, and when they celebrated their tenth anniversary, they chose the pub I used to run in Clerkenwell as their venue for the party.
“That’s what we’re all about. The reason we don’t work with brands that have been taken over by big brewers is that even if they keep the name the beer never tastes quite the same.
“They’ll cut costs, tweak the recipe and it won’t be the same as when they were independent.
“But there’s plenty out there. We’ve got 21 keg beers and six cask ales – 15 of the kegs are on rotation.
“Personally, I love pale ales, which is the most popular style, but we always have a mixture of options on.”
key details: The Clement Attlee
The Clement Attlee is located on the corner of Bekesbourne Street and Commercial Road next to Limehouse Station.
The pub is open daily from 5pm Monday-Thursday, from 3pm on Fridays and from noon at weekends.
Full event listings for the venue can be found here.
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