Many London pubs put up a run of tinsel for the festive period, but nowhere goes all-out like the Churchill Arms.
At any time of year, the famous pub is an attractive corner-house in the Kensington/Notting Hill borders. Its roof and walls are festooned (there really is no other word for it) with pot plants, hanging baskets and aerial shrubbery.
Come Christmas, the exterior becomes a veritable thicket of pine trees and fairy lights, so densely packed that you wonder how the real Santa Claus will ever squeeze in. Look out for the Letters to Santa postbox beside the main entrance.
This year's lights are switched on on Thursday 12 November 2026 from 6pm. Simply show up at the pub in plenty of time (they're not taking bookings), to watch it flicker into festive light.
The Churchill Arms, owned by Fuller's, is also a charmer on the inside, packed to the gunwales with hanging bric-a-brac, bunting, Churchillian memorabilia and — that vanishing species in pubs — a carpet. It, too, is richly decorated with festive trimmings.
The Churchill Arms, 119 Kensington Church Street W8 7LN. Nearest station Notting Hill Gate. See the Christmas decorations from 12 November 2026.
