Good News! At last... and the Carlton Tavern

It is great that I can actually share good news in these COVID-19 Crisis times, and which I first wrote about regarding the Carlton Tavern in Maida Vale NW5 5EU, six years ago, with an update in 2019 (blog), about how developers had demolished the building without planning permission, and had been ordered to rebuild the public house by Westminster Council. Well, I spotted a further update in an article in the CAMRA February 2021 What's Brewing, which is supported by a recent online article on the Hampstead Highgate Express website, and many thanks to them for the image above too (slightly edited).

The good news is that it looks like the Carlton Tavern will be reopening soon, hopefully March/April, lockdown allowing, under the stewardship of Homegrown Pubs and 2 'local lads' (Tom Rees and Ben Martin) who have wide relevant experience in the trade. They're planning to use local sources, eg local breweries for their ales, and applications are in for licences etc. For more information go to the facebook page Rebuild The Carlton Tavern, nice one! ✌

Good luck to all involved, fingers crossed for you, and cheers! 

The Alchemist - Another Update!

Whilst on the subject of councils enforcing the rebuilding of public houses demolished without planning permission (prior being The Carlton Tavern - blog), I checked up on what was happening to The Alchemist, Battersea SW11 1TH, which I wrote about in 2015 too (blog), and for which Wandsworth Council, in this instance, made the order to rebuild the property. The Alchemist originally opened in the mid-19th century as The Fishmongers Arms (Pub History) and Wandsworth Council reported last year that it had been rebuilt (above - website).

The building as it looked before demolition.

It is good to see it has been rebuilt, ostensibly as a public house, but I cannot find any information about whether it is open now... I noticed it up for sale, apparently as a restaurant, but the link is no longer available, does anyone know if there have been any further developments please? I should be able to get there in a couple of weeks if I cannot find out what has happened, so will report further when I do know more, cheers!

Photograph taken 5th July 2019

I went by on a bus recently and it still looks empty!

The Carlton Tavern Update

I wrote about the Carlton Tavern in Maida Vale NW5 5EU, four years ago now (blog), and the fact that developers had demolished the building without planning permission, and had been ordered to rebuild the public house by Westminster Council... Well, they're taking their time, but I found this image on the facebook page Rebuild The Carlton Tavern (edited a wee bit, but many thanks to the administration of that page for publishing, and good luck with overseeing the pub's return from the ashes), nice one!

And this was how the Carlton Tavern looked before the developers vandalism! Also, apparently, the pub is already up for sale (Ham & High).

Watching further developments with great interest...