Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Explore Kilburn’s hidden side — from Orwell’s pub and a tin church to Ireland’s strongest man.A splendid London walk packed with history, humour, and the unexpected.
***************************************************************************
If you enjoy watching my films why not throw me a one-off contribution ➜ joolzguides.com/donate
ORDER JOOLZ GUIDES' BOOK NOW !!!!!
USE THIS LINK ➜ geni.us/joolzguidespubwalks
My Social links ➜ https://linktr.ee/joolzguides
***************************************************************************
From Orwell’s favourite pub to a church made of tin and the extraordinary tale of Ireland’s strongest man, this walk reveals the real Kilburn beyond the High Road bustle.
We visit The Priory, a pub once frequented by George Orwell, who lived just around the corner while writing Animal Farm. Eighty years after its publication, the pub still honours him with Orwell-themed dishes. Just outside, we trace the course of the Kilburn Vale, a buried stream that once gave the area its name — “Cuneburna,” or “Cattle Stream.” You can even spot a Victorian “stink pipe” marking where the old river still flows underground.
Along the way, we explore the site of the medieval Kilburn Priory, where pilgrims once stopped on their way to St Albans. We pass the spot where A.A. Milne, creator of Winnie-the-Pooh, went to school under the tutelage of H.G. Wells, and the place where Orwell’s own home was bombed during the Blitz.
A real highlight of the walk is the extraordinary Tin Tabernacle, a corrugated-iron church built in the 1860s and later transformed into a naval training ship for sea cadets — complete with portholes, bunks, and a bridge! It’s one of London’s most eccentric buildings and a rare survivor of the “temporary” churches that once dotted Victorian London.
The walk also stops at the Animal War Memorial Dispensary, where tens of thousands of working animals were treated free of charge between the wars, and the Gaumont State Theatre, once the largest cinema in Europe and a favourite of Queen Mary. You’ll also hear about Michael Gaughan, the IRA hunger striker whose funeral drew thousands to Kilburn, and the 1975 UDA bomb at Biddy Mulligan’s Pub, events that shaped the area’s strong Irish identity.
And then there’s the legend of Michael “Butty” Sugrue, Ireland’s strongest man, who once pulled a London bus up Kilburn High Road with one hand while pushing a baby pram with the other. He later ran the old Grange Cinema, where he hosted boxing matches and music gigs that became the stuff of local legend.
From Victorian wells and art deco shops to tales of buried rivers and boxing ghosts, this is Kilburn as you’ve never seen it before — full of humour, history, and heart.
Thanks to MattFromLondon who took the photo of the Tin Tabernacle
#LondonHistory #Kilburn #JoolzGuides
Explore Kilburn’s hidden side — from Orwell’s pub and a tin church to Ireland’s strongest man.A splendid London walk packed with history, humour, and the unexpected.
***************************************************************************
If you enjoy watching my films why not throw me a one-off contribution ➜ joolzguides.com/donate
ORDER JOOLZ GUIDES' BOOK NOW !!!!!
USE THIS LINK ➜ geni.us/joolzguidespubwalks
My Social links ➜ https://linktr.ee/joolzguides
***************************************************************************
From Orwell’s favourite pub to a church made of tin and the extraordinary tale of Ireland’s strongest man, this walk reveals the real Kilburn beyond the High Road bustle.
We visit The Priory, a pub once frequented by George Orwell, who lived just around the corner while writing Animal Farm. Eighty years after its publication, the pub still honours him with Orwell-themed dishes. Just outside, we trace the course of the Kilburn Vale, a buried stream that once gave the area its name — “Cuneburna,” or “Cattle Stream.” You can even spot a Victorian “stink pipe” marking where the old river still flows underground.
Along the way, we explore the site of the medieval Kilburn Priory, where pilgrims once stopped on their way to St Albans. We pass the spot where A.A. Milne, creator of Winnie-the-Pooh, went to school under the tutelage of H.G. Wells, and the place where Orwell’s own home was bombed during the Blitz.
A real highlight of the walk is the extraordinary Tin Tabernacle, a corrugated-iron church built in the 1860s and later transformed into a naval training ship for sea cadets — complete with portholes, bunks, and a bridge! It’s one of London’s most eccentric buildings and a rare survivor of the “temporary” churches that once dotted Victorian London.
The walk also stops at the Animal War Memorial Dispensary, where tens of thousands of working animals were treated free of charge between the wars, and the Gaumont State Theatre, once the largest cinema in Europe and a favourite of Queen Mary. You’ll also hear about Michael Gaughan, the IRA hunger striker whose funeral drew thousands to Kilburn, and the 1975 UDA bomb at Biddy Mulligan’s Pub, events that shaped the area’s strong Irish identity.
And then there’s the legend of Michael “Butty” Sugrue, Ireland’s strongest man, who once pulled a London bus up Kilburn High Road with one hand while pushing a baby pram with the other. He later ran the old Grange Cinema, where he hosted boxing matches and music gigs that became the stuff of local legend.
From Victorian wells and art deco shops to tales of buried rivers and boxing ghosts, this is Kilburn as you’ve never seen it before — full of humour, history, and heart.
Thanks to MattFromLondon who took the photo of the Tin Tabernacle
#LondonHistory #Kilburn #JoolzGuides
