I need to correct a misunderstanding about the Barking Dog. It formed the ground floor of a building called Trocoll House. I thought that the building was being converted from offices into residential use but I now understand that the building has actually been demolished. It will be a new pub that should therefore be opening in 2026.
It is reported that the Broad Green Tavern in London Road, Croydon, previously the Star, has been converted into a supermarket without planning consent. CAMRA’s Croydon & Sutton branch has raised a complaint with Croydon Council accordingly. This is a disappointment because the pub reopened in 2019, having been closed for some nine years. It has some history as a music venue. Jimi Hendrix played there in 1967.
At the same time as announcing some strong financial results, Fuller’s (the pub company) announced that they were selling the freehold of the Mad Hatter in Southwark. This seems odd because it has hotel accommodation, which is a market into which Fuller’s are seeking to expand. They are however receiving £20 million for it.
In the recent general election, Chris French, the enterprising owner of the Mitre in St Mary’s Grove, Richmond registered the pub as a political party and stood as its candidate in the Richmond Park constituency. He admitted that it was more for the publicity than any political campaigning. He told the local newspaper, “About twelve months ago, I stumbled across that if I actually registered to run in the election, I would actually get the free advertising on 77,000 ballot papers.” Success would have been receiving over 5% of the vote and thereby having his £500 deposit returned. Unfortunately he only got 233 votes (0.5%). Sarah Olney of the Lib Dems held the seat with 28,528 votes (55.4%).
A new opening to note. Tottenham based Bohem Brewery have taken over the Nicholas Nickleby in Ferme Park Road, Stroud Green. This is their second outlet, following their taproom in Myddleton Road, Bowes Park. Although not cask-conditioned, their beers are authentically brewed and served in the Czech style.
Hopeful news. The Rose, formerly the Old Rose, on the Highway near Tobacco Dock, closed in 2011 and fell into a very sad state. It has however now been cleaned up and repainted and is displaying a ‘to let’ board. Here’s hoping…
There are changes afoot at the Grade II-listed Royal Vauxhall Tavern. In May it was announced that RVT Enterprises UK had sold the freehold to a private buyer for £2.2 million. The private buyer was later revealed to be McMullens Brewery of Hertford. The report said that they had acquired it for the investment income. Shortly afterwards it was announced that the current operator, James Lindsay, was putting the lease on the market following his decision to retire. The RVT is very much a going concern.
Readers may recall that Simpsons Tavern in Cornhill closed in 2022 because of a dispute about rent arrears between the operator and its owner. Sadly, the 29 May edition of CityAM reported that there had been a burglary at the premises and some damage had been done. The article included a picture of broken windows and said that the police were treating it as a crime scene. Let us hope that some solution can be found before this fine Grade II-listed building suffers more serious damage.
The respected pub operators Remarkable Pubs have acquired the former Spark House in Lea Bridge Road, Leyton from the Laine Pub Company. It had previously been a Wetherspoon’s outlet called the Drum. It is currently being refurbished and will reopen as the European. It will be Remarkable’s 15th pub.
Further to the report in the Brewery News column in the previous edition, the London Beer Project have now also taken over the Grade II-listed Ten Bells in Spitalfields. The pub was previously operated by the now defunct East London Pub Company.
Two days before the presentation of their Pub of the Year award to the Trafalgar in South Wimbledon, members of CAMRA’s South West London branch were horrified to find that an application for planning permission had been submitted, seeking to demolish the existing rather quaint building and replace it with a four storey block containing six flats and a smaller replacement pub with reduced facilities. Members of the branch, along with other devoted regulars, have submitted objections.
The saga of the White Swan in Charlton continues, although now with some promising news. In June the developers, Mendoza, who are looking to turn this distinctive late Victorian pub into a convenience store with flats above, took their application directly to the Planning Inspectorate because Greenwich Council failed to deal with it within the required time limit. Greenwich say that this was because the applicant did not supply information that they requested. Mendoza’s application was however refused and there are now ‘to let’ signs on display. Hopefully, something positive will happen soon. The pub was at one point taken over by squatters who used it as a cannabis factory while, more recently, nearby Croydon Council used it as emergency accommodation for homeless people. In their application, Mendoza’s agents claimed that there was a ‘poor level of interest’ in the pub locally, although a petition containing the signatures of over 1,200 residents had been submitted to Greenwich Council asking them to restore the pub.
A word of reassurance for those who know the Willoughby Arms in Kingston on Thames. There were recent reports that the pub was up for sale. This however is the freehold interest only. The landlord, Rick Robinson, says that he still has a good few years left on his lease and so it’s business as usual for the foreseeable future. He told a local news website, “I’ve planned a 30th anniversary do in August and I wouldn’t be out the back painting the patio or fixing the roof in the toilets if I was leaving.” The pub has been CAMRA Kingston & Leatherhead’s Pub of the Year for five of the last 20 years. The report said that the owners, Tavern Propco, are looking for offers in excess of £1,430,000 for the Victorian building.
