Ye Olde Swiss Cottage friendships helped writer land Time Out role

Ye Olde Swiss Cottage in London served its final pint in February 2025. A writer recalled that bonding with colleagues at the pub after moving from Glasgow helped her find a sense of belonging and ultimately led to her dream job at Time Out magazine. The writer said she had been through redundancy and taken a business-magazine job writing about textile-industry share prices, a role she did not enjoy.

On her first day she joined three other young women from the news desk who hustled her across north London’s multilane Finchley Road to Ye Olde Swiss Cottage, described as a faux Swiss chalet and a former coaching inn dating back to the 1830s. She described the pub as draughty, grotty and peculiar, with a jukebox playing 1970s songs, a migraine-inducing carpet and leaded windows; the outdoor beer garden overlooked a motorway.

Cheap booze and cheery staff made it a sanctuary, and the friendships formed there helped the group listen to one another’s frustrations and support escape plans — some of which remain friends to this day. Reading the pub’s history and looking at old photos on its walls sparked the writer’s interest in the history of London venues; after going freelance she began writing about them and later secured a job at Time Out, where one of her first assignments was the annual pub guide.

Key Topics

Culture, Swiss Cottage Pub, Finchley Road, Glasgow, Samuel Smiths Brewery, Coaching Inn