{"id":638,"date":"2019-11-21T11:02:29","date_gmt":"2019-11-21T11:02:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/?p=638"},"modified":"2019-11-21T11:04:33","modified_gmt":"2019-11-21T11:04:33","slug":"pub-news-november-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/2019\/11\/21\/pub-news-november-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Pub News – November 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You will find most of our regular pub news in the WhatPub Update column but here are some items that merit further comment, some positive, others alas not\u2026 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many moons ago the customers of the Acorn\n<\/strong>in Haggerston included workers from the\nnearby gas works. The works were bombed out of existence during the war and the\npub, dating from 1839 with its Truman\u2019s livery intact, is the only building\nfrom those times left standing in the area. Alas, not for much longer. Having\nacknowledged its significance by listing it as an Asset of Community Value\n(ACV) (although subsequently overturned on a technicality), Hackney Council\nrefused planning permission for its demolition and replacement by a block of\nflats with a bar on the ground floor. Predictably it went to appeal and the\nplanning inspector overturned the decision. When the Council\u2019s planning\ncommittee recently considered a request to vary the original planning\npermission, all they could do was discuss bike sheds and redesigned windows for\nthe new building. As reported in the Hackney\nGazette<\/em>, planning officers told the committee,\n\u201cWe resisted the demolition and felt the\nbuilding should be retained but the Planning Inspector took a very different\nview. Their assessment was that the building was of very limited heritage\nvalue. We identified the building as a non-designated heritage asset and the\ninspector disagreed. We don\u2019t have any leverage now in terms of the loss of the\nbuilding<\/em>.\u201d The inspector also considered that\nthe addition of modern windows and extensions had \u2018diluted the integrity\u2019 of\nthe building, although the Hackney Society pointed out that these changes could\neasily be reversed. It did not help however that, despite the ACV, the council\nhad not placed the building on their local list of buildings of special or\narchitectural and historic interest. Planning inspectors have often been the\nheroes in campaigns to save pubs but I think that it is questionable that,\ngiven that they have no local knowledge, they are able to disregard a local\ncouncil\u2019s assessment of the value of one of their local buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There has been an unexpected development in the case of the Angel <\/strong>at Hayes End. Two editions\nago I reported that a local religious foundation had purchased this Grade\nII-listed pub with the intention of turning it into a community centre with\nmultiple occupation accommodation on the upper floors. The planning application\nwas duly submitted but was then withdrawn. We do not know why. There is\ntherefore a glimmer of hope. If the owners are dropping the project then they\nmight be interested in selling and this gem could yet reopen as a pub. The\ncurrent owners reportedly paid \u00a31.6 million for the freehold. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around in a circle for the Builders Arms <\/strong>in Britten Street, Chelsea,\nwhich has reopened after refurbishment. The pub was originally owned by\nGeronimo Inns and passed to Young\u2019s upon their takeover. Hippo Inns, run by\nRupert Clevely who founded Geronimo, have now acquired the pub and Mr Clevely\ncommented, \u201cIt is great to have the Builders\nArms back; it\u2019s a pub close to my heart from my previous life. Hippo Inns is a\ngroup of community pubs with quality food and drink at its heart and the\nBuilders Arms fits perfectly within our portfolio<\/em>.\u201d Hippo Inns, part of the Ei Group, now have 13 pubs in London. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good news about the Eastbrook\n<\/strong>in Dagenham, courtesy of CAMRA\u2019s Pub\nHeritage Bulletin. This Grade II*-listed pub, dating from 1937, is now in the\nhands of a private owner with good intentions. The pub has two bars: the Walnut\nBar (left hand side) and the Oak Bar (right) and the panelling and fittings in\nboth make this one of CAMRA\u2019s Historic Pub Interiors of National Importance.\nThe Walnut Bar has been restored and the Oak bar, currently used for storage,\nwill follow and be returned to use. The pub is a favourite of supporters of\nDagenham & Redbridge football club. The full address is Dagenham Road\/Rainham Road South, RM10\n 7UP. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Permission to redevelop the Hero of Switzerland <\/strong>at Loughborough Junction has been granted by Lambeth Council. As\npreviously mentioned, it will be replaced by a fully sustainable 13 storey\ntower containing 35 apartments but a pub will be retained, including the\noriginal sign and mural. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good news from Le\nGothique<\/strong>, the home of the\nWandsworth Common beer festivals. The pub is part of the magnificent Royal Victoria\n Patriotic Building\nand for his most recent festival, proprietor Mark Justin obtained permission to\nopen up the Great Hall on the Saturday night. The occasion was to commemorate\nthe opening of the building by Queen Victoria\nin 1859. The Great Hall is truly a \u2018hidden gem\u2019 featuring a barrel vaulted\nceiling adorned with the coats of arms of the shires of England and the\nCommonwealth countries plus a Shakespearian mural. Congratulations to Mark for\nachieving something that I know he has wanted to do for some time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CAMRA\u2019s monthly newspaper, What\u2019s Brewing<\/em>,\nmentioned the Leslie Arms <\/strong>in Croydon in its October edition. I thought that it was worth\nrepeating here that this magnificent Grade II-listed pub, built around 1900 for\nlocal brewers Nalder & Colyer, has stood empty for some twenty years now\nand is high on the Victorian Society\u2019s list of valuable buildings at risk of\nbeing lost forever. According to Croydon Council\u2019s planning website, there are\ntwo planning applications submitted in June this year which are \u2018awaiting decision\u2019.\nThe director of the Victorian Society, Christopher Costelloe, said, \u201cVictorian pubs are closing all over the country and it is no\nsurprise that this year there is one on our Top Ten Endangered List. A\nparticularly intractable case, this is a building of great quality where\ncontinued pub use should be viable. The right owner is needed<\/em>.\u201d The full address is 62\n Lower Addiscombe Road, CR0 6AB.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A recent addition to bus corner in the Little Green Dragon <\/strong>at Winchmore Hill is a Countdown bus indicator. Enterprising owner\nRichard Reeve has programmed it to show buses on local routes 125 and 329 which\npass by. This possibly unique piece of customer service is dedicated to local\nCAMRA activist, Peter \u2018I\u2019ll get the next one\u2019 <\/em>Graham who had the honour of switching it on. With thanks to Owen\nWoodliffe for the news. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The message has still not got through. Mitchells & Butlers\nrecently applied to Merton Council for a Certificate of Lawful Development\n(CLD) to turn the O\u2019Neill\u2019s <\/strong>in Wimbledon SW19 into a shop (A1 retail) using permitted\ndevelopment rights (PDR). Alas, their lawyers appear to be unaware that PDR for\npubs were abolished in May 2017. We await the planning application. With thanks\nto Rex Ward for bringing this to my attention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There has been an encouraging development regarding the Old\nJustice <\/strong>on Bermondsey Wall. The Southwark\nNews <\/em>reports that the developer has\nwithdrawn their appeal against the enforcement notice served on them by\nSouthwark Council following their making unauthorised changes to the interior\nof this Grade II-listed building, thus avoiding a public
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

planning hearing. It\nremains to be seen what happens now. Local campaigners still want to take the\npub into community ownership. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is something for you\ncider buffs. The Pilango Craft Cider Company <\/strong>have\nopened a shop and bar in Fulham. They are advertising the largest selection of\ncider in London,\nwith over 150 different varieties from 15 different countries. Reports confirm\nthat they have up to four draught ciders served from the box which may be taken\naway or consumed on the premises by the glass or carafe. Food (cheese,\ncharcuterie and nibbles) is available and they stage various events: see www.pilangocider.com\/cider-vault<\/em>.\nThe opening hours are 5.30 to 10pm on Wednesday and Thursday, 1 to 10pm on\nFriday, 12 to 10pm on Saturday and 12 to 6pm on Sunday. You will find them in a\nformer taxi garage under the District Line railway arches at Arch 10 Munster\nRoad, Fulham SW6 4RY. Please note that there are various drinks available but\nno beer. It is however only a short walk to the White Horse. Go under the\nrailway, turn left into St Dionis\n Road and you will find the Green at the end. As\nyou pass, spare a thought for the Jolly Brewers, a sad loss. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\nhave been contacted by the secretary of the Ponders\nEnd Working Men\u2019s Club <\/strong>who has asked us to\nclarify that it is the Enfield Highway Working Men\u2019s Club (97 Ordnance Road,\nEnfield Wash EN3 6AG) which has closed and his club, situated at 46 South\nStreet, EN3 4LB, is still happily in business. He has also let us know that the\ndevelopment on the site of the old Enfield\n Highway club will not after all include a bar. The\nPonders End club serves beer on handpump and CAMRA members are welcome to\nvisit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As\npreviewed, the Ram Inn <\/strong>in\nWandsworth reopened on 10 October, having been shut since the brewery closed in\n2006 although it remained in Young\u2019s ownership. It is a Young\u2019s tenancy in the\nsafe hands of renowned local publicans, Lee and Keris DeVilliers, who also\noperate the nearby Old Sergeant and Pig & Whistle. The pub has two distinct\nareas. The ground floor is a traditional pub, acknowledging Young\u2019s history,\nwhile the bar upstairs is more modern in style, with shuffleboards and a Citron\nH2 van serving street food to give what Keris described as an \u2018outdoor event\u2019\nfeel. They have decided not to allow in children on either floor. As Lee told\nthe Morning Advertiser<\/em>,\n\u201cWe wanted to create a grown-up place\nfor people to relax and have a good time. Both our other sites are\nfamily-friendly but we wanted this one to be just for the adults<\/em>.\u201d\nThe pub also houses the six barrel Sly Beast micro-brewery. Their first brew, a\nkeg session IPA (4.2% ABV) called 1533, takes it name from the date when beer\nwas first brewed on the site. Cask ale will follow soon, likely to be a porter.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some news of the Royal Bell Hotel <\/strong>in Bromley. This Grade II-listed building has been closed and boarded up for more than ten years. It did however briefly open its doors for viewing during the London Open House weekend in September. More than 500 people took this rare opportunity to have a look inside; this included several members of CAMRA\u2019s Bromley branch. The present building dates from 1898 and is in the \u2018Arts and Craft\u2019 style while the previous building on the site was mentioned in Jane Austen\u2019s Pride and Prejudice<\/em>. Work has now started to restore the building as part of a development which will feature a new hotel on the site to the rear of the existing structure. The first phase will include a new bar, the \u2018Royal Bell Tap\u2019, occupying part of the ground floor. This is due to open in early 2020. The developers are also planning to bring the entire building back into use with restaurants or food outlets plus the possible use of the former ballroom (pictured) on the first floor as a music venue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n


Bob Keaveney <\/em><\/strong>(who also took the photo) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editor\u2019s note<\/strong>:\nBob asked me how often Jane Austen\u2019s name had appeared in LD. Well, she never\nmentioned LD in any of her books\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latest pub to be given a replacement CAMRA certificate acknowledging its historic interior is the Spread Eagle <\/strong>in Wandsworth. This Grade II-listed late Victorian inn has extensive etched glass and an unusual external canopy, and retains its two bar layout. The presentation was made by Geoff Brandwood of CAMRA\u2019s Pub Heritage Group, supported by a number of local CAMRA members. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Spread Eagle Public Bar (Mike Flynn)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we go to press, bad news about the Squirrel <\/strong>in Maida Vale. An\napplication to list the building has been refused. An Historic England adviser,\nquoted in the Morning Advertiser<\/em>, said, \u201cOverall, the Squirrel is a\nnotable building within its \u2018streetscape\u2019 with clear local historic interest,\nbut it is not considered to meet the criteria for statutory listing<\/em>.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Twickenham Beer Festival I picked up a flyer for Tubbs Pub<\/strong>. This newly opened\nmicropub, offering up to six cask ales plus other drinks, can be found at 15\nCastle Parade, Ewell KT17 2PR (Ewell By-pass, corner of London Road). The\nnearest station is Ewell West, just inside Zone 6. I have seen a photo of it on\nFacebook and it looks very smart. It is open 12 to 9pm from Monday to\nWednesday, 12 to 11pm Thursday to Saturday and 12 to 5pm on Sundays. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compiled by Tony Hedger, except\nwhere otherwise credited<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You will find most of our regular pub news in the WhatPub Update column but here are some items that merit further comment, some positive, others alas not\u2026 Many moons… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":639,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pub-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=638"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/638\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":641,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/638\/revisions\/641"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}