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The Windsor Castle

London, N2 8DL
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About The Windsor Castle

The Windsor Castle N2 is a small, community focused local in East Finchley, North London. We’re at the heart of a close-knit neighbourhood, with a wide-ranging customer base, from young professional couples and families with young children, to multi generation families and older retired professionals.

We offer customers a cosy, warm and welcoming environment, one in which they can relax, unwind and feel comfortable. As the London Pub Explorer recently stated on their Instagram account – “The Windsor Castle is a true escape from the strains of the modern world… it offers a fine sanctuary to ease the brain into neutral, put the phone away and kick back in congenial surroundings”.

“We have grown so much as a business since starting. We continually nurture and empower our wonderful team, upskilling, building confidence and providing a caring and inclusive working environment. The Windsor Castle has gone from a failing backstreet pub, which could’ve ended up closing for good, and turned it around – creating a community local that is loved and cared for by the people who live in the streets and roads that surround us. The Windsor Castle is now an asset to our local area, for the community, with the community at its heart – a place that has real local value at a time when backstreet community locals are disappearing.”

About the Local Community

When we first came to the area, we became aware of a large contingent of folk musicians living in and around the locality. With a bit of networking, we began to establish contact and now host the ‘East Finchley Folk Sessions’, a monthly get together of local musicians who jam and network in the pub. It attracts a lovely crowd and is sited by many musicians as a more friendly and welcoming session where everyone feels included (compared to other sessions they participate in). We open at 4pm from Tuesday to Friday but offer the space free of charge to local groups and organisations before this, with teas and coffees of tap. The East Finchley Town Team, which comprises members of the East Finchley Community Trust and East Finchley Open Artists, hold all their meetings with us. They have been awarded an annual budget of £10k by our local authority to support local growth and the environment.

We take the time to get to know our community and offer support to locals in different ways through offering work. Our gardener is Dan Garcia, a local resident. We were his first clients when he launched his business after completing his studies. Our quiz is led by a local quizmaster Owen Diplock.

About Local Businesses

We work with and support other local small businesses, as it keeps our community thriving and keeps our offer authentic: Our bread comes from our local bakeries ‘Margot’ and ‘Galetta’, and our house gin and vodka both come from a local, family run artisan distillery called Sacred, who are B Corp Certified. We use local electrical company ‘East Finchley Electricals’ for all electrical supplies and electrical maintenance jobs.

If we are able to use a local supplier, we most likely do. Our relationship with them is vital to our reputation at the Windsor Castle. If we were to close, it would disrupt the community, not just because the locals would lose a “local hangout spot”, but because it would have serious impact on the small businesses we use, potentially causing them financial strain and stress.

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About Staff at The Windsor Castle

We provide a caring, nurturing and inclusive environment and take time to train our staff well, whilst ensuring that they feel valued, appreciated and respected. Through regular team meetings we help them to understand our vision and ongoing strategy so that they feel connected to what we are building and very much part of the process. We care about staff wellbeing and good work-life balance is key to that. Our kitchen team get two consecutive days off every week. Front of house shifts never exceeds 8.5 hours, and the team is rotated to ensure that everyone has an equal share of opening and closing shifts. All staff receive a free meal of their choice when working over six hours on a shift, and everyone is offered an afterwork drink. We acknowledge staff birthdays with a card and gift, and the whole team send messages through our WhatsApp group when each team member’s birthday comes around. Everyone receives a card and gift at Christmas, plus a cash bonus to thank them for their hard work and dedication.

About Charity Work at The Windsor Castle

Since we opened in 2022, and in the wake of the cost-of-living crisis, we have supported our local food bank with an ‘invisible peas’ option on our menu which allows customers to add a £2.00 donation to their bill, and we now match every donation given. These donations together with our match are transferred to the Foodbank monthly. We have supported a local children’s play area (Marketplace Playground) which was very run down and assigned for private housing development. There was a campaign to save it, and a crowd funder was launched.

We supported it in every way we could, including financially, and now local families have a wonderful natural play area that continues to be positively developed. We financially supported the ‘Long Lane Pasture’ – a local green space and wildlife sanctuary. It’s run by volunteers who needed support renewing their equipment to keep the space open and running. We provide the newly formed and local East End Village Resident’s Association (a CIC) with space and support for various fundraising activities and events to help them grow funds to improve the local environment. We support the East Finchley Festival every year through purchased advertising and donated raffle prizes, and we provide perks for their volunteers. We also support local schools with both auction lots and raffle prizes.

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