Historic north London pub to reopen as comedy and cabaret venue

An historic pub in north London which has been closed for months is set to reopen as a pop-up comedy and cabaret venue. The Old Dairy on Crouch Hill will relaunch with a series of Saturday night events, starting in October.Martin Besserman, a Crouch End resident who runs the Monkey Business Comedy Club, is taking over the venue for at least three shows this autumn.Mr Besserman wrote on Facebook: "We’re incredibly excited to announce that Finsbury Park Cabaret will be taking over the whole pub at The Dairy."We’ll be bringing you a series of exciting Saturday night pop-up comedy and cabaret shows, with fabulous performers, great entertainment, food and a fully stocked bar."The Dairy has been closed for the past few weeks, so we’re thrilled to be bringing this fantastic space back to life with a series of one-off pop-up nights."The first events will take place on October 31, November 28 and December 12 - with lineups and more dates to be announced.A "high percentage" of money raised will go towards community projects and charitable causes.The Old Dairy, a Grade II listed pub, closed during lockdown when it was taken over by squatters.Owners Greene King reported the pub in 2023 following a six-figure refit - but according to the Campaign for Real Ale, it has been closed since early May.The pub has decorative panels illustrating traditional milk production methods, a nod to the site originally serving as a shop and creamery for the Friern Manor Dairy Farm Company in the 19th century.Built in 1890, the building once housed stables and cowsheds, and the outside wall has large panels depicting all stages of the milk production process, from cows grazing to the milk being delivered. The site remained a dairy until the 1960s. It was bought by Regent Inns in 1997 and converted into a pub, and was later sold to Real Pubs and then Greene King in 2011.More details about the cabaret events, including line-ups and ticket information, are expected to be released soon via the Finsbury Park Cabaret Facebook page.