One of London's most characterful pubs faces immediate closure. The Windsor Castle on Crawford Street, Marylebone will cease trading on 16 August. According to the Marylebone Association, the building had reached the end of its lease, and has now been acquired by a Saudi-based property company who want to turn the block into luxury flats.
This is a sad end indeed for one of the truly unique pubs of London. The Windsor Castle is particularly noted for its over-the-top collection of royal memorabilia. Almost every square centimetre of the bar, walls and ceiling is encumbered by photographs of royalty, while a mannequin soldier has, for years, kept guard from his sentry box by the door. The place was voted one of the best pubs in Marylebone by our readers, back in 2013.
The pub has also long served as the meeting point for the Handlebar Club — a well-groomed fraternity of those who sport horizontal whiskers. The club will now gather round the corner at The Heron pub.
So farewell to the Windsor Castle. Kitschy, yes. But a beloved and quirky corner of the capital that has become yet another casualty in the race to build investments for rich people.