Andy Georgiou with his mum Stella and two Arsenal matchday customers at the ‘Cannons, the Factory’

TRIBUTES have been paid to the landlord of a long-standing Arsenal pub in Blackstock Road, after he died this week, age 67.

Flowers were laid outside “Cannons, the Factory” for Andy Georgiou, who first opened the pub nearly 40 years ago, and was a cherished member of the Arsenal community in Highbury.

His parents, who were Greek Cypriot, emigrated to London in the 1950s and settled in London’s West End, where Mr Georgiou was born.

His father died when he was just eight years old, and he formed an inseparable bond with his mother, who he remained close with until she passed away in 2022.

Speaking to the Tribune, his niece, Charlotte Constantinou, said: “He was very much immersed in the Greek Cypriot community where he grew up, and he was extremely close with his mother.

“She was like his mascot, she used to come down to his pub on matchdays sometimes and would bring him good luck for his beloved Arsenal.” She added: “When he was younger, he was getting into the wrong crowds a little bit, starting to get into trouble. And so his mother, protective as ever, sent him to live in Cyprus for a bit. But it was just before the war started there, and he often joked about how he was flown back to the UK on a British army jet.”

He worked as a driver, before deciding to take over the site of a former clothes factory and turn it into an Arsenal pub in the early 1990s.

Mr Georgiou, who died this week, age 67

“Cannons, the Factory” was born, and has remained a popular matchday spot for Arsenal die-hards ever since.

“He was Arsenal born and bred – his lifelong love was football and the Arsenal,” Ms Constantinou said.

He left the West End and moved to Highbury around the same time as buying the pub, before settling in King’s Cross for the last 10 years of his life. Alongside his love for football and affection for his family, he loved rock music, and played guitar in bands throughout his life.

Ms Constantinou added: “He was so immersed in British rock and roll culture, he wasn’t a typical Greek Cypriot in that respect.

“He loved Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones and Madness. Someone actually even said to me recently that he had a rock star lifestyle himself.”

Ms Constantinou said that Mr Georgiou was a real family man and always made time for those close to him: “He was nine years younger than his sisters, he was like the Peter Pan of our family, we all babied him. But he was the protector type, people wouldn’t mess with him.

“He was a loveable rogue and a real cheeky chappy. He would stand his ground and defend the people he loved.”

Over the last few years, Mr Georgiou suffered some losses in his life. In 2022 he lost his mother, followed by his sister and partner in 2025. Despite this devastating string of losses in his life, Ms Constantinou said he always remained positive and “full of life.”

Mr Georgiou had a “real heart” for the community around him, and built relationships with diehard Arsenal fans who were to become his pub regulars. Some of them have been drinking and watching Arsenal there since the pub opened in the 1990s.

“He was so embedded in that Arsenal community – if one of his regulars didn’t have enough money for a pint, he’d say ‘don’t worry about it’. He let people host parties and events in the space for free because he loved his community so much.”

Mr Georgiou will be buried in Eastbourne, where he spent a lot of time with his mother.