Culture

Community at The Carpenters Arms - A Brick Lane Institution with a Focus on Sustainability, Non-Alcoholic Options, and Rare Whiskey

Editorial Team

SOAS Creative Dept.

November 26, 2024 /
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If you head down Cheshire Street, away from the crowded bustle of Brick Lane, you’ll find a business on the corner that has remained central in the area since it opened its doors in the mid-1800s. The Carpenters Arms has had many faces and fostered all sorts of characters over the years, but the old-school pub has always been a hub for the community. After narrowly avoiding being demolished and converted into flats in 2006, the pub now feels more at home in the area than ever before, with its current owners making it an inclusive space without sacrificing it's classic and cosy atmosphere. We sat down with The Carpenters Arms manager, Gab, to ask about some of the ways the pub is promoting a new way of operating.
“We wanted to revive the traditional hospitality in London pubs, with a focus on restoring the classic concept of a pub,” Gab explained. “Exceptional hospitality, quality beers, comfort, warmth, and a sense of community.” The approach of adapting the spirit of a traditional pub to fit with a more contemporary crowd highlights how much has been lost over the years as establishments jumped from trend to trend to try and survive. Instead, The Carpenters Arms hopes that growing a community and centring their ethos and the experience provided entirely around the customer will help them avoid folding to trends.
One of the key aspects in The Carpenters Arms rethinking a traditional boozer is making efforts to minimise their environmental impact wherever they can. Gab broke down these efforts, explaining that “sustainability is central both here at The Carpenters Arms, and at our other pub, Bank of Friendship in Highbury… We are actively consolidating our orders to reduce driving and carbon emissions, implementing meticulous recycling practices to minimise waste, and working closely with our waste management partner, which is committed to a zero-to-landfill policy.” On top of the logistics, the entire drinks menu has been planned around good environmental practice, with a balanced selection of natural, organic, and biodynamic vegan wines being a focal point. Equally, the pub makes a point to work with sustainable breweries like Kernel and Verdant, who produce their beer with innovative techniques that conserve energy and reduce waste. By becoming a leading purveyor of these drinks and supporting producers who prioritise environmental stewardship, The Carpenters Arms hope to inspire positive change across the entire industry.
As the attitude towards alcohol changes, and many are increasingly slowing their drinking to benefit both physical and mental health, people are looking for different reasons to head to the pub with friends. Knowing this, non and low alcohol options are also something with a heavy focus in The Carpenters Arms. Gab hopes that providing these options “promotes a more varied and inclusive community. With non-alcoholic choices becoming more refined, the experience at the pub can be enjoyed by a broader range of people, and this makes it a space that encourages people to socialise and connect without focusing solely on alcoholic beverage. I think it is a positive step towards evolving the pub culture and creating an environment that welcomes everyone.”
But don’t worry, if non-alcoholic beer isn’t exactly your thing, an extensive, rare whisky menu is on hand. Believing selections of good whisky were much too hard to find in your average pub, The Carpenters Arms saw a gap in the market for a place that provided whiskey-lovers with rare bottles, or just a place to chill out with a less cost-intensive glass! Aiming to provide variety, quality, and a unique experience, the pub has made special effort to source worldwide, with whisky from Ireland, America, Japan, and the Campbeltown region in South-West Scotland, which is home to some of the most sought-after whiskeys on earth.
Like us, The Carpenters Arms has a huge reverence for heritage, but isn’t afraid to recontextualise themselves and embrace change. When they took over the space, they restored the original Truman mirrors, restored the counter, retiled the toilet walls and floors with traditional tiling, and reinstated old-school leather banquette seating. This highlights the heritage, craftsmanship, and quality of the traditional pub experience, whilst also keeping an eye on sustainability with fittings that last a lifetime with little maintenance! The pub has made special effort to amplify the local community by displaying historic local photography that highlight both architecture and individuals. By bringing traditional hospitality and an old-school setting to new audiences, that classic London pub that we’re seeing less and less of is preserved and allowed to flourish. In Gabs own words, “preserving the traditions of pub culture is not just important, but it’s central to our ethos.”