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Picture source: Marie Darling

The Poppy was situated at 276 Edgware Road. Formerly known as The Coach & Horses, this pub together with the adjoining Gaumont Cinema were demolished to make way for the Marylebone flyover.

My grandparents, Walter and Lilian Chaplin, ran the "Poppy" pub until 1950, and my late mother and aunt grew up there. I am not sure when my grandparents first took on the "Poppy", but I guess it was in the late 1920's or early 1930's. From what my grandmother used to say, it certainly seems to have been a bustling place! She said that they sold the most port of any pub in London, and were also Sainsburys' largest customer at the time (for food for sandwiches etc.). She also said that the pub had the longest bar of any in London. My grandparents lived in the apartment above, and at one time (certainly before the war) they had three servants, including one to look after the two children. I was born in 1950 so do not remember the "Poppy". When my grandparents left it about that time, with my grandfather approaching 60 they were planning to retire, and went out to an apartment in Monaco for about six months. However, they clearly found that they were not ready for retirement, and so in 1951 took on another London pub - the "Live and Let Live" in Kensington, near Olympia. They retired from that in 1959, and I remember the "Live" as they used to call it quite well. It too seemed quite lively - I have clear recollections of the cellars below where the casks etc. were stored (with a lift up to the bar), and piano music etc. in the evenings!

Paul Turner (February 2019)

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Name	Dates	Comments
Joan	1951/1954	I lived there; my parents ran it.
Donna Hess	1959/1960	My parents Michael and Kathleen Brady ran the pub in the late 1950’s and I was born upstairs in the living quarters. I’m not sure when they left but I’m assuming it was to do with the pub being demolished to make way for the flyover. They always remembered their time there very fondly and I was sorry never to have seen the place where I was born. I wish I could see some better photos.
Joan Hunter	1951/1955	My parents were Publicans for Whitehead and Sons for many years and The Poppy was their first pub. I was a young child when we lived in The Poppy