The pub was a Meux's house, and was noted for a plaque advertising their Original London Stout, which remained on the building until its demise,[1] long after the brewery's closure in 1921.[5]
That was right at the start of Blur. Graham [Coxon] and Alex [James] were still at Goldsmiths so we were just doing our first gigs. First on the bill at an indie all-dayer at the George Robey pub in Finsbury Park which meant we were on at eleven in the morning and just got pissed for the rest of the day, taking advantage of the beer coupons.
Despite being locally listed,[12] the building was demolished in 2015,[13] after a period standing derelict, during which it was occupied by squatters[6] and had its interior fittings and floors removed.[8][10] A Premier Inn hotel now occupies the site.
The pub was directly opposite another, larger, music venue, the Rainbow Theatre.[8]
The fictitious venue The Harry Lauder in Nick Hornby's book High Fidelity was based on The Sir George Robey.[4] Near the end of Irvine Welsh's novel Trainspotting the characters Sick Boy and Begbie visit The Sir George Robey.[14]