Lock-in: Beer on tap and bar games for flatmates stuck in pub

A spacious pub with beer on tap – that’s where two flatmates have found themselves coping with the lockdown.

Dom Townsend and Steve Pond share an apartment above The Prince in north London and have been passing the time taking on each other at pub games and enjoying a few cold pints.

Inside the Stoke Newington pub, chairs are turned upside down on tables as all British bars and restaurants remain closed as part of government measures to tackle the spread of the coronavirus.

There are also blackboards advertising sporting events which have long since been cancelled.

Dom, 29, who is the pub’s assistant manager, said: “I moved in just a couple of months before lockdown, which has worked out well, considering.”

The flatmates have been enjoying their own crazy golf course on the wooden floor and cooking barbecues on the roof when the weather allows.

“We’ve ended up as friends,” added Dom. “It’s been nice. We can’t complain. We’ve got fresh beer on tap.”

In a sign of the times, hand sanitiser sits next to their pint glasses when they enjoy a drink at the bar.

For 39-year-old Steve, the coronavirus outbreak was a major worry early on because he has an existing lung condition.

He said: “I kind of started to self-isolate a couple of weeks before, but after confirmation from my doctor I found I could go out, so that kind of eased it a bit for me.

“One of the lows I suppose is not having the locals come in. It’s lucky me and Dom get on so well.”

For all the advantages of their situation, they are looking forward to seeing the pub serving customers again when the current lockdown restrictions finally allow.

Asked what he would like to do most when the lockdown is lifted, Dom replied: “A big party; go out to eat somewhere that I miss; just see your friends.

“I think you realise that a lot of the superficial stuff …now doesn’t matter as much. You want to see your friends, you want to see your family, you want to live a bit … once this is done.”