I visited UK’s strictest pub… there’s a no phone policy & coats go on a hook – but one rule went too far
Share:
STEPPING through the doors of the UK's strictest pub offers an instant trip back in time - before punters paid more attention to their texts than fellow drinkers. Kevin Moran, 84, landlord of The Nag’s Head on Kinnerton Street in London for about 42 years, operates a strict no phones policy.
![[I visited the UK's strictest pub, it was no disappointment and everyone loves it]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/DSG_ONLINE_NAGSHEAD_03JPG-JS952614422jpg-JS956867325.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
No children are allowed through the doors, and apparently hogging the fire is deemed a bar-worthy offence. Other strict rules include no coats draped on chairs, no swearing, and no turning up drunk. With just a sip left of my pint, Kevin told me I was hogging the fire, despite the fact he too was standing in front of its warming flame.
![[War memorabilia covers every inch of the walls in the Nag's Head]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/DSG_ONLINE_NAGSHEAD_01JPG-JS952614434jpg-JS956867326.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
He added that it was normal to receive a telling off for hogging the fire for too long as he grew up alongside his six brothers. In the lead up to being invited to leave, I'd had a somewhat pleasant time in The Nag's Head. Aside from the £15 minimum card machine spend, that is, which meant a trip to the nearby ATM.
![[Customers cannot use mobile phones inside the pub but they can buy vapes and cigarettes]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/DSG_ONLINE_NAGSHEAD_04JPG-JS952614424jpg-JS956867331.jpg?strip=all&w=702)
The day before my visit, I phoned Kevin to ask if the rumours he was the UK's strictest landlord were true. He grumbled: “So what are you calling me for then?" and hung up the phone. The Nag's Head, down a quiet, picturesque road, was once a boozer for the stable hands and footmen who worked nearby.
![[Kevin Moran behind the bar of The Nag's Head in 2022]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IRW_Nags_Head_Pub_13JPG-JS764653972.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Built around the 1800s it received a resurgence in the 1950s. On either side of the pub's front room are two narrow wooden staircases. One leading to an upstairs bar, while another leads down into another seating area. I greeted Kevin and after some negotiations, which included being told to put my phone away, I asked about the collection of beers on tap.
![[Kevin standing outside his beloved pub]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IRW_Nags_Head_Pub_09JPG-JS764653956.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
