With public houses said to be closing at the rate of one a day across the country, licensed premises along Barnet High Street are doing what they can to buck the trend, each with a distinctive offer to potential customers.

Facing rapidly rising energy costs – in the wake of the covid pandemic and a deepening cost-of-living crisis – publicans know they must provide something different to boost evening trade.

After taking over two months ago at The Butchers Arms, manager Jo (Jaudine) Wilson (above) is trying to create what she hopes is the atmosphere of “an old-fashioned boozer” while aiming at weekends to become a popular music venue.

At the High Street junction with St Albans Road, The Library Bar, has just celebrated its first birthday party – another opportunity for proprietor Laura Cornelius to promote her unique line in cocktails and build on the literary theme of her cafe bar.

The hospitality venture with the most unexpected twist to a night out in Barnet town centre was along at the Chipping Workshop at the junction with Moxon Street.

An exhibition of space-related art and artefacts provided a weekend attraction at the pop-up bar run by New Barnet brewers Urban Alchemy who offer a range of craft beers and real ale.

Barnet artist Sarah Fortais displayed two Apollo mission pressure suits in a tableaux with the title Remote Care that recreated a medical simulation training exercise for astronauts – a display originally exhibited at a Royal Geographical Society’s expedition and fieldwork festival.

“It was a great opportunity to display some of my work here in Barnet,” said Sarah. “There was a lot of interest. The space theme went down well with real ale enthusiasts.”    

For Jo, at The Butchers Arms, where she had previously worked behind the bar, becoming manager a has been a real challenge.

She has made it her mission to try to create a sense of community, bringing customers together and rebuilding The Butchers Arms as a traditional weekday pub, an approach which is proving popular.

“During the day customers who used to sit on their own are now getting together, chatting much more, and it is all very friendly.

“There will now be music every weekend, with a variety of groups on Saturday nights and then an open mike night on Sundays, when local musicians can come along, join in and jam together.”

A charity event – in aid of Cherry Lodge Cancer Care -- has been lined up for the night on Saturday 17 December featuring the Barnet based band, The Silencerz with saxophonist Lee Thompson from Madness.

At The Library Bar, Laura says she is trying to offer something different in the High Street – the kind of venue usually found in the West End but here on the doorstep for residents and visitors to High Barnet.

“We offer a unique line of cocktails which we’ve created especially for the Library Bar, each with a literary connection.”

Laura is keen for her venture – which is a day-time cafe from Tuesday to Saturday and then stays open in the evenings on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays – to build on its literary theme. Already a book group meets there each week.

Urban Alchemy’s pop-up bar in the Chipping Workshop – which was formerly the showrooms of estate agents Foxtons – combines with a rear food court offering a range of tasty dishes and snacks.

The weekend exhibition of space related displays (November 19-20) was a chance for Sarah, whose studio is in Alston Works, off the Alston Road, to exhibit her work in Barnet.

She created the items on display while artist in residence at the Centre for Outer Space Studies at University College London.

Her project coincided with the UK’s first analog space mission in May and the tableaux of a medical training exercise showed how to care for an astronaut with a broken hip – an exercise that could have been replicated in any extreme environment.

Sarah (33), who has had a studio at the Alston Works for the last six years, is now a specialist casting technician at Central Saint Martins working on sculptures.

Urban Alchemy’s head brewer Matt Javes, who doubles up behind the bar, says they have been delighted with the support they have been getting and are looking forward to what they hope will be a busy Christmas and New Year.

“We’ve done pop-up bars before at Barnet Market and other events, but we are now offering our full range of beers four nights a week, from 6 to 12 on Thursdays and Fridays and 2 to 12 on Saturdays and Sundays.”

There is steady demand for their regular brews, their most popular line, Beach Body Ready, a hazy pale ale, stout, and a session ale.

Matt said he had found a new vocation brewing beer and serving behind the bar. He spent 17 years working in an office as a systems and information co-ordinator for Barnet Council. “This has been a real gear change for me, and great fun.”

Urban Alchemy, which is based in York Road, New Barnet, began as a home brewery and now with three directors, managing director Si Morley, engineer Neil Boscoe and head brewer Matt, is looking at possibilities for expansion.

They hope to remain in the High Street with their pop-up bar until well into the New Year and hope they might soon be visited for a tasting session by the London Region of the Campaign for Real Ale – and hopefully a review in their publication, the London Drinker Magazine.