The Amersham Arms
A historic pub and live-music venue in New Cross, south-east London.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Amersham Arms is a pub, entertainment venue and live-music space at 388 New Cross Road in the New Cross area of the London Borough of Lewisham, south-east London. Its identity combines the functions of a traditional London pub with a performance venue that has hosted emerging artists, touring acts, club-oriented programming and comedy. The premises have a long local history: a pub using the Amersham Arms name was present on New Cross Road by at least the 1850s, and between the 1920s and 1940s it was known as the Amersham Hotel. The venue also has a significant connection with the social history of London’s postwar Caribbean communities. On 23 October 1954, it hosted the first major meeting of the local Anglo Caribbean Association and Club. Established by West Indian migrants of the Windrush era, the organisation provided practical assistance and social activities while also helping members organise against racism. This event places the pub within the wider history of migration, community formation and anti-racist activism in south-east London. By the 1960s, the Amersham Arms had become a setting for jazz concerts. Its later musical reputation expanded considerably. Suede played an early show there on 12 February 1992, an appearance that Brett Anderson later recalled as having only one person in attendance. Other performances during the 1990s included appearances by Menswear and Bush, alongside acts such as Squeeze, Sidi Bou Said, Extreme Noise Terror, Marty Friedman, Daisy Chainsaw, Sepultura, Gene and Spearmint. The venue was relaunched in 2007 by the management team associated with Camden’s Lock Tavern. At that point it held a weekend licence allowing opening until 4 a.m. The relaunch was followed by a period in which the Amersham Arms became a regular stop for independent rock, grime and dubstep artists, while continuing to operate as a pub. Chas and Dave performed there twice in 2007, Wilko Johnson appeared that year, and Jonathan Richman played in 2010. During the late 2000s and early 2010s, the venue hosted artists including The xx, Sea Power, Art Brut, These New Puritans, Wild Beasts, Foals, Holy Fuck, Liars, No Age, Hudson Mohawke, Skepta, Wiley, Benga and Kode9. The venue’s programming has also included artist-development and community events. In 2014, former Libertines guitarist and singer Carl Barât held auditions there for musicians for a new band. In 2022, the Amersham Arms hosted that year’s First Timers event. Its non-musical programme includes Happy Mondays, a fortnightly comedy night associated with performers such as Stewart Lee, Cardinal Burns, Russell Howard, Shaparak Khorsandi, Andy Parsons, Andi Osho, Arthur Smith, Sarah Millican, Greg Davies, Milton Jones, Dane Baptiste, Robin Ince and Al Murray. Earlier comedy programming included the Rub-a-Dub Club, formerly compered by Simon Day. The building retains a visible link with its brewing history through a neon “Take Courage” sign on the façade, dating from a period when the pub was associated with Courage Brewery. The gallery space above the pub is named after the sign. The available reference material does not identify the current legal owner, operating company, or any parent hospitality group. The venue’s present-day positioning is therefore best understood as an independent-feeling local pub and multi-purpose cultural venue rather than as a documented national chain.
History
A public house bearing the Amersham Arms name has stood on New Cross Road since at least the 1850s. During the 1920s through the 1940s, the premises were known as the Amersham Hotel, before the Amersham Arms identity returned or was restored. The pub’s history reflects both the changing commercial life of New Cross and the area’s role as a meeting place for local communities. One of the most historically significant events associated with the building took place on 23 October 1954. The Amersham Arms hosted the first major meeting of the local Anglo Caribbean Association and Club, an organisation founded by West Indian migrants during the Windrush era. The group combined mutual support, social activity and campaigning against racism. The meeting connects the venue to the postwar history of Caribbean settlement in Britain and to the creation of migrant-led networks in London. The Amersham Arms had become a jazz venue by the 1960s. From the early 1990s onward, it developed a more visible place in London’s alternative music circuit. Suede performed there on 12 February 1992, and later 1990s bookings included Menswear, Bush, Squeeze, Sidi Bou Said, Extreme Noise Terror, Marty Friedman, Daisy Chainsaw, Sepultura, Gene and Spearmint. These bookings spanned indie, rock, metal and experimental styles, indicating that the venue was not restricted to a single musical scene. A major modern phase began with a 2007 relaunch by the management team behind the Lock Tavern in Camden. The venue reportedly had permission to operate until 4 a.m. at weekends at that time. Chas and Dave appeared twice in 2007, while Wilko Johnson also performed that year. Jonathan Richman played in 2010. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, the venue became particularly associated with independent rock, grime and dubstep, and hosted both British and international touring artists. Performers cited in accounts of this period include The xx, Sea Power, Art Brut, These New Puritans, Wild Beasts, Foals, Holy Fuck, Liars, No Age, Hudson Mohawke, Skepta, Wiley, Benga and Kode9. The pub continued to operate as a broader cultural venue rather than solely a concert room. In 2014, Carl Barât used it for auditions connected with a new band. The venue hosted the 2022 First Timers event, reinforcing its role in presenting developing artists. Comedy has been another durable strand of its programme. The fortnightly Happy Mondays night has featured Stewart Lee, Cardinal Burns, Russell Howard, Shaparak Khorsandi, Andy Parsons, Andi Osho, Arthur Smith, Sarah Millican, Greg Davies, Milton Jones, Dane Baptiste, Robin Ince and Al Murray. Simon Day previously compered another comedy night there, the Rub-a-Dub Club. The building’s frontage retains a neon “Take Courage” sign, a reminder of its former association with Courage Brewery. A gallery space above the pub takes its name from that sign. Although the available reference material documents the venue’s history and programming, it does not establish its current owner, corporate structure, financial performance or detailed present operating model. Those matters remain unconfirmed.
- 2022
First Timers venue
[1]The Amersham Arms hosted the 2022 First Timers event.
- 2014
Carl Barât auditions
[1]Carl Barât held auditions at the pub for musicians for a new band.
- 2010
Jonathan Richman performance
[1]Jonathan Richman performed at the venue.
- 2007
Relaunch under new management
[1]The pub was relaunched by the management team behind the Lock Tavern and had a late weekend opening licence.
- 1992
Early Suede performance
[1]Suede performed at the venue on 12 February 1992.
- 1960
Jazz venue
[1]By the 1960s, the pub was hosting jazz concerts.
- 1954
Anglo Caribbean Association and Club meeting
[1]The venue hosted the first major meeting of a local Windrush-era organisation supporting West Indian migrants and opposing racism.
- 1920
Premises known as the Amersham Hotel
[1]The pub was known as the Amersham Hotel during the period from the 1920s to the 1940s.
- 1850
Pub established on New Cross Road by at least the mid-nineteenth century
[1]A pub using the Amersham Arms name was present on New Cross Road by at least the 1850s.
Products and positioning
A long-established New Cross pub with a strong live-music, comedy and community-programming identity.
Hospitality
Pub bar service
The core offering is a local pub bar serving visitors at the New Cross premises. The available sources establish the pub function but do not provide a verified current drinks list, food menu, pricing structure or specific supplier information.
Entertainment · 1960
Live music programme
The Amersham Arms operates as a live-music venue, with a history ranging from 1960s jazz to 1990s alternative and heavy music and later independent rock, grime, dubstep and touring performances. Its documented artists include both established performers and developing acts.
Entertainment
Comedy nights
Comedy is a continuing part of the venue’s programme. Happy Mondays runs fortnightly and has presented a wide range of comedians, while the earlier Rub-a-Dub Club was associated with Simon Day as compere.
Cultural venue
Gallery and cultural space
A gallery space above the pub is named after the venue’s surviving Courage Brewery neon sign. The available source confirms the space and its name but does not detail its current exhibitions or operating schedule.
Recent events
- 2022
The Amersham Arms hosts First Timers[1]
Other
The venue hosted the 2022 edition of First Timers, an event associated with developing and presenting new performers.
- 2014
Carl Barât holds band auditions at the venue[1]
Other
The former Libertines guitarist and singer used the pub for auditions for musicians to join a new band.
- 2007
The Amersham Arms is relaunched by the Lock Tavern management team[1]
Other
The New Cross pub was relaunched by the team behind Camden’s Lock Tavern and had a weekend licence permitting opening until 4 a.m.
- 1954
Anglo Caribbean Association and Club holds major meeting at the Amersham Arms[1]
Other
The pub hosted the first major meeting of the local Anglo Caribbean Association and Club, a Windrush-era organisation that supported West Indian migrants and organised against racism.
Sources2 sources
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