Manager Joe Shilan outside The Crown

A PUB manager says he is loving life two months after an old Highgate watering hole reopened, writes Melody Chan.

The Crown, in Highgate High Street – formerly the Rose & Crown – was turned into a posh bakery but has now changed back to a pub, run by Northern Union Pub Company.

Manager Joe Shilan, 29, said: “It’s very exciting. It’s very busy. We’ve got a lot of people coming in just out of curiosity, just to look around because they remember the old building.

“People come in to check out the layout. And I felt more like a museum for a couple of days, to be honest.

“I’ve never heard anyone say I wish it was still a bakery, they must be too polite to say it to me. Who knows?”

He added: “There was lots of stuff left behind when we took over the building, lots of Le Pain Quotidien T-shirts and lockers.”

Mr Shilan, who has worked in several pubs before The Crown, described the area as “peaceful”, “fantastic” and “very unusual”.

He added: “I’ve not had to really kick anyone out or deal with any drunkenness. It’s really lovely. I really like it here.”