Where is Kray twins' pub The Carpenters Arms?

July 2021 · 2 minute read

LONDON gangsters the Kray twins bought The Carpenters Arms back in 1967.

It was one of the most notorious pubs in London in its day and was bought for their mother Violet. Find out here where the pub is located. 

Where is the Kray twins' pub The Carpenters Arms? 

The Carpenters’ Arms is a Victorian public freehouse located in Bethnal Green, East London, England.

It stands on the corner of Cheshire Street and St Matthew's Row. 

A short distance from Brick Lane, the pub is notoriously known for it being the previous owners of the Kray Twins and their mother Violet Kray.

Many family parties and business meetings were held here by the twins, and it was the place where Reggie Kray had a drink on the October 29, 1967, to settle his nerves before going to murder Jack McVitie.

When did the Kray twins buy The Carpenters Arms? 

London gangster twins Reggie and Ronnie Kray bought it in 1967 for their mother Violet. 

Their family home was just a hundred yard away at 178 Vallance Road.

Allegedly the Krays decorated the place in a faux Regency style with striped wallpaper to match their West End nightclub, and there is a chip in the paint on one of the cast iron roof pillars revealing the burgundy colour scheme of that period.

The twins would hang up their childhood boxing gloves over the crest behind the bar, and according to the last owners of the pub, the twins installed a bespoke bar surface during the time they owned the pub.

Apparently the surface employed was a coffin lid, although this was considered nothing but a myth.

The current manager stated that "the Krays liked it because the bar was long and narrow and had just one entrance, which meant they could see anyone coming in."

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Who owns The Carpenters Arms now?

The pub closed down in 2006 due to financial reasons.

However, the pub nowadays is a welcoming place that attracts a fashionable clientele.

The current landlords Eric and Nigel have renovated the interior into a bright place with a number of painted portraits of the Krays on the wall.

Various weapons such as hammers, bats and knives are displayed in a glass display cabinet in the back room.

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