Congregations: The Smokers of W14

Congregations is all about the spaces people gather in, this month we speak to the smokers outside the Crown & Sceptre

Just off the corner of High Street Kensington tube station lies the crown & Sceptre, one of Kensington’s best pubs and a place I regularly walk past on my way to university. The pub is often frequented by the Kensington locals who go there to enjoy an evening drink and smoke.

The street is coloured by white and brown all around, giving a very London look to it. The dimly lit street goes all the way down to where the Crown & Sceptre lies. The pub itself is a white building with bits of red brick along the sides. On the front wall a large gold crown lies with the lettering reading “CROWN & SCEPTRE HOTEL, PUB, KITCHEN”. The hanging lamps illuminating the pavement and outdoor seating in a warm yellow glow. The pub is filled with young to middle aged men and women coming after university and work.

The pub is always busy and having lived in this area a few years, I’ve noticed the smoking area being the busiest place. People shouting, drinking and smoking, it’s the perfect place to congregate.

Pubs are core to British culture and many Brits have practically adopted them as their second home. Pubs have, for decades, been a place where strangers and friends come to congregate, relax and enjoy a smoke and a drink. One thing in particular about pubs stood out to me – the attitude towards smoking. Being a smoker I was always ashamed of my smoking habit but for many including me the smoking areas of pubs were a necessity. They meant friendship, family, good times and an escape from reality.

On a Sunday afternoon, I decided to camp outside the smoking area of the pub and ask a few of the regulars how important this space was to them. I wanted to know their history with the pub, their favourite moments and what it truly meant to them.

John Anderson, a middle-aged investment banker and a pub regular sits with his friend smoking a cigarette, he says: “After work this is the place I want to be. Sitting outside the Crown & Sceptre is where I spend most of my time after work. Drinking and smoking gets me out of my work mindset. We’re just a 10-minute walk from my house and here I can just talk to my friends while enjoying my beer and cigarettes”.

Thomas Mason, a retired doctor sits alone in the corner of the smoking area: “This pub is my second home, my wife hates that I’m always here but where else can I smoke my cigars? Me and my friends are here every day at 5pm, having a drink, enjoying our retirement.”

Maisy Wilkinson, the young bartender trying to pay off her student loans:“I can’t explain what this pub means to people, but I guess for the people I serve it’s a place where they can relax and enjoy. It’s mostly locals but everyone comes here to wind down. I’ve worked here now for over two years and everyone sitting in the smoking area right now feels like family, I can probably tell you all their names.”

Isla Jane, currently a third year student studying law and a local: “I’ve lived in Fairfax place since I was a child and although the Crown & Sceptre hasn’t been here all this time, it feels as if it has. My whole family comes here to eat, drink and smoke. To me it’s like another section of my house, sit outside, have a smoke, and just chat shit with the people around me.”

Alex Pillar, a middle-aged bartender who has worked at the pub for four years: “Well, I wish I could enjoy the pub instead of serving drinks but if you ask me, everyone here has come to just enjoy themselves. The smoking area is always packed full and it’s hard to shut down the pub. From teens to elders we get them all and every one of them are here just for a chat.

Damian Matthew, a university marketing student: “My girlfriend lives here, so we come to this pub around three to four times a week just to relax and get out a little. People here are very friendly and not too nosy, we can enjoy our drinks and smoke without anyone bothering us. My favourite memory here is having our 1-year anniversary right here.”

Anees Ahmed is an African- American bank worker who moved to the United Kingdom three years ago: “The Crown & Sceptre is a 10-minute walk from where I work, I made most of friends from here. When you asked what my attachment to the smoking area of the Crown & Sceptre, I would say it like my life now.”

Jade Contini a young university student who is renting an apartment near the pub: “I moved here a year ago, and this place immediately caught my eye. Uni can get tiring, so after all that work, I just come here and talk to some of the people.”

Congregating after the pandemic has been difficult for many but after speaking to the regulars at the Crown & Sceptre, I realised they’ve done a good job at getting everyone back together. The smoking area of the pub has brought together a whole range of people from bankers, university students, retirees, and staff all in one place.