Churchill Arms' Christmas lights spark street-spilling crowds and a last-second bus dash

"The Churchill Arms in Kensington is famous for its massive foliage-covered exterior, and at Christmas, it's covered in lights with a host of Christmas decorations added for extra measure. The lights switch-on is a bit of an event now, and crowds build up fairly early, spilling onto the pavement, and when that was full, spilling onto the pavement across the side street. Some 22,000 lights covering 80 trees came on, and phones came out for beer holding selfies."

"As the countdown approached, people squeezing out of the pub started crossing the busy road, sometimes sensibly using the nearby pedestrian crossing, more often not. One woman boldly walked out holding up a hand and shouting at motorists to stop - exclaiming loudly to giggling friends that's how they do it in Egypt. Totally coincidentally, Egypt's road death rate is nearly five times higher than London's (4.9 per 100,000 population vs 1.2 per 100,000 in London)."

"And then disaster. For everyone on the opposite side of the busy road, a bus was seen approaching just as the countdown was about to start. And on a busy road, it was slowly crawling towards the pub as the seconds counted down. Screams from the crowd to move past, and the bemused bus driver safely nudged the bus out of the way just in time. To the very audible relief of the crowd and then the countdown started."

The Churchill Arms in Kensington displayed a dense foliage-covered exterior decorated extensively for Christmas. The lights switch-on drew early crowds that spilled onto the pavement, across a side street, and onto the opposite side of a busy road. Patrons crossed as the countdown approached, sometimes using the pedestrian crossing and sometimes not; one woman loudly instructed motorists to stop, remarking 'that's how they do it in Egypt,' while an angry driver accelerated past. A slow bus approached during the final seconds, prompting screams; the driver nudged the bus out of the way and the crowd cheered as 22,000 lights on 80 trees illuminated.

Read at ianVisits