Antic update: two of the pubs that were not included in the sale to Urban Pubs & Bars closed at the start of November. These are the Dogstar in Brixton and the Tooting Tram & Social. Coopers cafe and bar in Upper Norwood is in the same position but remains open. The situation may be complicated by there being both head and sub-leases for the administrators to deal with. It remains possible that either or both will reopen as pubs under new ownership.
This edition’s cover photograph is the Bricklayers Arms in Bromley. This Shepherd Neame house has recently reopened after a four week refurbishment costing £330,000. The pub’s original features have been carefully retained. The pub has links to Bromley Football Club who are currently having their first season in the Football League Division Two and their owner and chairman, Robin Stanton-Gleaves, had the privilege of pulling the first pint. With thanks to Sheps for the photograph.
The Grade II-listed Cheshire Cheese near the Temple reopened in October. It is now operated by a company called Wellman Taverns who lease a number of pubs from Shepherd Neame. Cask beer from Sheps should be available. Food is available lunchtimes and evenings.
The lease of the George in Wanstead has now passed from Wetherspoons to Urban Pubs & Bars, who are restoring the pub to its original name, the George & Dragon. It is currently being refurbished and will open in the new year. It is understood that the lease runs until 2034. JDW originally put the lease up for sale in 2012 but then changed their minds until recently when they decided to sell after all.
The Jack O’Lantern in South Ockenden has been closed since September 2020, following a serious fire. The building has stood empty since then. A further fire occurred in early November, which Essex County Fire & Rescue Service say they are recording as ‘deliberate’. No further details have yet been released.
The Grade II-listed Old Jail in Biggin Hill faces an uncertain future. The partly weatherboarded pub, which dates from the 18th century, closed in early 2023 following a flood. The owners, Star Pubs & Bars (Heineken UK), did make a start on the repairs but experienced problems because of its listed status and with making good some works carried out by a previous tenant, for which no permission had been obtained. Star have now decided to sell the pub, telling the local News Shopper newspaper, “We have identified The Old Jail as a pub which does not fit within our leased and tenanted business model and have therefore taken the decision to sell.” They went on to commend the pub’s potential as a community pub. It has an extensive garden. It is close to the famous Battle of Britain airfield and contains various items of memorabilia. The pub name is unique.
The Saxon in Clapham, a new build pub formerly operated by the East London Pub Company, has been taken over by the family-owned Polygon Public House company. They have renamed it the Ox. It is their second gastropub in the area after the Rose & Crown. The Ox reopened in October after an extensive refurbishment that introduced classic wood panelling, dark floor tiles and vintage furnishings. Polygon are looking to open a third pub, the Florence in Islington, in 2025.
Residents have petitioned Greene King after the unexpected closure of the Prince Frederick in Plaistow. They consider the pub, a former beer house dating back to 1761, to be ‘a building of deep historical interest and community importance’. Greene King told a local newspaper that ‘discussions are ongoing’ and that they were ‘reviewing options while keeping in mind the best interests of the community’. The pub is included on CAMRA’s London Local Inventory for its historic interior. It is named after the eldest son of King George II and the name is unique.
To give you something to look forward to come the spring, the Queen’s Head in Chesham has been announced as the winner of Fuller’s Glorious Gardens competition. The competition, now in its third year, is open to Fuller’s tenanted pubs. Paul Marsh, the tenant, was presented with a plaque and a cash prize at an award ceremony hosted by last year’s winners, the Wych Elm in Kingston. The Queen’s Head’s courtyard garden was the smallest of the gardens in the final but uses the space well.
I’m sure that many readers will have fond memories of the White Swan, which used to stand at 108 Fetter Lane until the building was demolished. A pub is being included in the development that is replacing it (99 Fetter Lane) and Derbyshire based Thornbridge Brewery (of Jaipur IPA fame) are negotiating with the developers to make it their first pub in London. It will be a joint venture with beer importers Pivovar. They are planning to name the pub the Wild Swan after one of their early beers and they are promising a ‘heavy cask beer offer’. Fitting out will begin in January with a view to the pub opening around Easter 2025. If all goes well, Thornbridge will look for a second London pub in 2026.
