Goodbye to Lenny: I’m sad to report that Lenny, the resident cat at the Pride of Spitalfields, passed away on 19 November at the grand old age of 19 which, I am told, is equivalent to 90 in human years. He will be missed. With thanks to Kim Rennie for the photo.
Choice? One of our regular (and reliable) correspondents has relayed the sad story of a popular pub, several times its local CAMRA branch Pub of the Year, which its regulars feel is being badly managed by its owners. There appears to be no intention, as is so often the case, to engineer its closure for redevelopment; it just seems to be incompetence. It is, of course, always open to customers to ‘vote with their feet’ and go elsewhere but with pubs the theory of competition fails. The pub’s regulars don’t want to do that. This is their local; they love it and they want to keep it. I’m not naming the pub because I understand that talks may be happening and I don’t want to prejudice them. Let’s hope that they succeed. Otherwise, the pub will inevitably close – which no-one wants.
Admiral Vernon, Dagenham Dock: I’m pleased to say that this is a new addition to CAMRA’s National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors Bulletin. This 1930s estate pub has kept a great deal of its original plan and fittings, including a sliding screen on the right-hand side, a popular device in interwar pubs to separate or amalgamate spaces as occasion and the level of custom required. For more details see the pub’s entry on the Heritage Pubs website https://pubheritage.camra.org.uk/. The full address is 141 Broad Street RM10 9HP. With thanks to the Pub Heritage Group for the information.
Airman, Feltham: this distinctive ‘Brewer’s Tudor’ pub (1 Hanworth Road, TW13 5AX), having being closed for a year, suddenly reopened in November. It is not clear at present who is operating the pub. Home made pizzas are served.
Brewery Tap, Brentford: I am pleased to confirm the ‘stop press’ from last edition that the pub reopened on 10 December. It is now linked to Duke of London (a car showroom, not a pub!) next door at the Factory. The music will continue and pizzas are available here as well.
Cricketers, Kew Green: this is another fine example of ‘Brewer’s Tudor’ which was closed by Greene King at the back end of last year. A conversion to flats was rumoured but no planning permission has so far been submitted. The pub is a distinguished building in an attractive location and so it is hard to believe that no-one can make a go of it.
Enderby House, Greenwich: Young’s have purchased this historic Grade II-listed building in Telegraph Avenue (SE10 0TH), with a view to ‘restoring it to former glories and opening it in the summer as a premium riverside pub with two terraces overlooking Canary Wharf’. It was originally the headquarters of the Samuel Enderby company which was Britain’s largest whaling operation until the mid-1800s. They are mentioned in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. It then passed to Glass, Elliott and Co, the firm that laid the first two transatlantic telegraph cables in 1857 and 1858. These failed but more successful efforts were made in 1865 and 1866 when cable made at Enderby House was loaded for laying onto I K Brunel’s steamship, the SS Great Eastern. Given the early history, I assume that fish will be on the menu.
Falcon, Clapham Junction: on their website, Nicholson’s claim that the pub’s interior was designed by the Dutch graphic artist M C Escher. Jeanne Rathbone, the secretary of the Battersea Society Heritage Committee, queried this with the artist’s foundation who replied that he had no involvement with the pub. Ms Rathbone communicated this to Nicholson’s, who are part of M&B, but they have not changed the website.
Magdala Tavern, Hampstead: the local paper, the ‘Ham & High’ reports that publican Dick Morgan, despite a year of delays, is still hopeful of reopening this inter-war former Charrington’s pub sometime this year, once the last of many legal requirements have been dealt with.
Market Porter, the Borough: the pub is still using its early morning market licence and is open from 6am to 8am. With thanks to Colin Price for the information.
Mirth, Marvel & Maud, Walthamstow: the former Granada cinema (186 Hoe Street) was turned into a pub by Antic in 2014. The Grade II* listed building, built in 1930, has however now closed, following its sale to Waltham Forest council who are planning to redevelop it into a 1,000 seat entertainment complex.
Noah’s Ark, Deptford: this pub has been closed for some time and has recently been a solicitor’s office. It was still recognisable as a pub however so it came as a shock that this Deptford High Street landmark was illegally almost completely demolished in November. Members of the Deptford Society alerted Lewisham Council who immediately stepped in to order the works to stop. The demolition is a criminal offence under Section 169D of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Also, the pub is in a conservation area. The council are now considering what to do next. One curious point is that the building firm whose signs were displayed on the scaffolding during the demolition went into liquidation two years ago. I don’t think that this event could have been a misunderstanding.
Queensbury, Willesden: sadly, despite the tremendous efforts made by the Save the Queensbury group over seven difficult years, the planning inspector overturned Brent Council’s refusal of planning permission for the redevelopment. At least the Inspector acknowledged the quality of STQ’s work. There were some odd aspects to the Inspector’s decision, including the comment that the redeveloped building would improve a conservation area. The need for housing was also cited and I expect that this will increasingly become the case. The redeveloped building is supposed to include a pub but few expect that to materialise. If it does, then by that time potential customers would have gone elsewhere, not that there are many alternatives in the area. One campaigner commented ‘I sometimes get the feeling that pub campaigners are not seen as people trying to save community assets but as a nuisance trying to prevent what the ‘experts’ – including council officers – think should happen’.
Spread Eagle, Wandsworth: in the last edition I mentioned that this Grade II-listed pub had been presented with a certificate celebrating its historic interior. Shortly afterwards we found out that Young’s are to redevelop the pub, incorporating some adjoining buildings to create hotel space and a set of offices for the company. Overall, the plans don’t look too bad but there were a couple of relatively small but annoying points. Young’s plan to install a pewter counter top. As Rex Ward, CAMRA South West London Branch’s Pub Preservation Officer told the Council, “This is out of character with this Grade-II listed pub and should be resisted. It seems a completely unnecessary piece of ‘trendiness’. There is nothing wrong with a traditional wooden counter top!” Similarly, the existing wooden panelling is to be retained but ‘stripped back leaving an aged effect’. It is already aged! All it needs is a good clean or a new coat of varnish.
Telegraph, Putney Heath: good news following the pub’s sudden closure a year ago. It has been purchased by Brunning & Price, the gastro-pub brand operated by The Restaurant Group. The pub is currently being refurbished to include ‘open fires, wooden floors, bookcases, decent old furniture, and lots of rugs and plants’ and a flat is being added to the side of the pub. The food offering will be ‘hearty pub classics complemented by more exotic influences from around the world’. It is expected to open in April.
Valentine, Gants Hill: this is another distinctive piece of ‘Brewer’s Tudor’ from the 1930s but one that is sadly now doomed. It closed in 2017 but plans for redevelopment were withdrawn after local objections. The boarded-up pub is however ‘attracting criminal behaviour’ and ‘makes no contribution to the town centre’, according to Redbridge Council. Consequently they have agreed to its demolition and replacement by a development of 300 student flats, which appears to be a growth area for developers these days.
Compiled by Tony Hedger