mark dodds
J Mark Dodds
The Ivy House closed, seemingly forever, in April 2012 when Enterprise Inns, the long standing freeholder who had repeatedly rented it to publicans (known as Churn in the pub industry)under financially crippling tied leases, decided to sell the building to a developer 'suitable for alternative use' - i.e private residential. This has been happening to pubs all over Britain in recent years - they have been sold off in droves to become housing, Tesco Locals, bookies, fast food drive ins or furniture stores. Anything but pubs. NOT with The Ivy House though!
NOT HERE! People from the local community, shocked that Their Local, and all it represented, was being taken from them forever without so much as a nod, got together, upped the ante, quickly got the pub's interior Grade II listed with English Heritage then moved straight on to getting The Ivy House classed as an "asset of community value" - the first pub in Britain to achieve this statusunder the 2011 Localism Act. After a tussle with a developer they achieved the seemingly impossible - and bought the freehold.
Now Team Ivy House have announced London's first cooperative pub and community share offer: Now YOU can own a bit of The Ivy House Nunhead! If you are interested in helping make a bit of Pub History see 'BUY SHARES' on the Ivy House website here: http://www.ivyhousenunhead.com/