Out with Homer, in with Hopper: Camden’s Newest Pub Mural 🍺🎨

If you’ve taken a stroll down the backstreets of Camden Town recently, you might have noticed a sudden shift in the local aesthetic vibe. One week you’re looking at a neon-bright, delightfully cartoonish replica of The Simpsons’ iconic living room; the next, you’re confronted with the moody, cinematic jazz of mid-century Americana.

The side wall of the Old Eagle pub has officially traded in its pink paint and Springfield sofa for a gorgeous, hand-painted rendition of Edward Hopper’s 1942 masterpiece, Nighthawks.

But the story behind why this change happened is pure, unadulterated London folklore.

Before Hopper’s solitary, well-dressed drinkers took over the masonry, local street artist Elvissey—a California native who moved to Camden 23 years ago fuelled by a love for Britpop—created a viral sensation. He painted a meticulous replica of the Simpsons TV set, cleverly utilising an outdoor utility box to look like part of the legendary brown sofa.

It was an instant, Instagram hit.

Too much of a hit, as it turns out. According to local residents, the mural became an accidental tourist hotspot, drawing upwards of 100 selfie-hunting visitors a day. Neighbours reported late-night pub-goers trying to climb the wall, and one particularly ambitious influencer allegedly knocked on a resident’s door at 7:00 AM on a Saturday to ask for a photographer.

Faced with a neighbourhood on the brink of a cartoon-induced meltdown, Elvissey went back to the drawing board. Or rather, the paint bucket.

To soothe the neighbourhood's frazzled nerves, Elvissey replaced the high-energy cartoon with something decidedly more cool, calm, and collected.

Nighthawks is famous for its depiction of a late-night diner, capturing a haunting sense of urban isolation. However, if you look closely at the Old Eagle’s new facade, the Camden version feels a bit different. Because the mural is a tighter, more zoomed-in crop than Hopper's original wide shot, it loses some of that haunting, expansive darkness.

The result? A warmer, intimate, and distinctly British pub-friendly tribute to an American classic.

"I just thought it looked really good in that place," Elvissey noted. "And it’s famous. I thought that most people would recognise it."

While the Simpsons couch might be gone, the appetite for world-class street art in North London isn't slowing down. Elvissey believes Camden is ripe for the kind of dedicated street art tours that currently pack the streets of Brick Lane and Shoreditch every weekend.

For now, the Old Eagle's new look offers the perfect excuse to grab a pint, admire some high-brow public art, and enjoy a slice of Greenwich Village right in the heart of NW1. Just maybe leave the 7:00 AM photoshoot requests at home.

Can’t make it down to NW1 to appreciate the brushstrokes in person? Bring the cinematic realism into your own living room by piecing together the moody masterpiece yourself with the Rest In Pieces Edward Hopper Nighthawks Jigsaw Puzzle—the ultimate test of patience for art lovers and urbanites alike.