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Another one bites the dust: The Queen

Mr Retro

Beware hedgehogs
It's closed down and all boarded up awaiting it's conversion into "appartments". luxury ones.



:(
 
Mr Retro said:
It's closed down and all boarded up awaiting it's conversion into "appartments". luxury ones.
Bollocks. I heard that they were planning on tearing down the building, bunging in 'urban lifestyle metro-upmarket loft luxury apartments' (or whatever name they currently call these fucking conversions) and then rebuilding it with the bar still downstairs.

Are there any notices there saying that the bar is going forever?

If that is the case, that's going to cast a long shadow over another rumour I heard about a Very Well Known Brixton Landmark Pub....
 
editor said:
If that is the case, that's going to cast a long shadow over another rumour I heard about a Very Well Known Brixton Landmark Pub....

Not repeatable on the internet?
 
A pub that had a large support from here? :rolleyes:

Long time no post. :oops:

This was one of those places that was once a landmark.

But was taken over and if I remember from what I have read here was now not fit for anything but a middle class student with dodgy dreads.

Obviously not quite enough have settled locally.

I went in there a few times for the footie & enjoyed the P & Q. but this obviously does not keep a pub in business.

Still I suppose anyone who doesn't revamp somewhere in Brixton & make it edgy or a dive bar has what they deserve.

If you took over a bar would you delibrately make it a shite hole?

If you don't use it...

Sorry I am a bit the worse for anything. :)
 
I live round the corner and only dropped in two/three times since it got taken over. Very limited bar - if you wanted a beer, but didn't fancy a Guinness, it was a case of lager or lager - no ale at all.
 
I didn’t see any notices, I’ll have a closer look tonight.

I used to go in there the odd time since it changed hands a few years back. There wasn’t much to reccomend it to be honest. The best I can say about it, is it was better than The Backstage.

Still, sad to see yet another old boozer going down.
 
On the same topic, The Loughborough has been shut the last few times I have walked past.
 
Minnie_the_Minx said:
Which one would that be then?
I've already said: it's not repeatable on the internet!

It may be total bollocks of course, so I'm already wishing I hadn't said anything now.. but I have heard it from two different sources...

As soon as I hear anything definite, I'll post it up here, but it could just be one of those groundless rumours.
 
MrSki said:
On the same topic, The Loughborough has been shut the last few times I have walked past.
It was open about two weeks ago in the daytime, although the rest of this landmark venue was being 'lifestyled' at a rate of knots.
 
too bad... i quite liked the queen for a quiet drink every now and then. it was almost always ewmpty in its new re-incarnation.
 
Mr Retro said:
They did no promotion of the bar at all. It was even quiet when there was a gig in the Academy.
The sad thing was that the real appeal of the Queen was its 'ad hoc' approach to licensing and once the police clamped down on that, there wasn't a lot left to recommend the place.

I've had some fabulous nights there in the past, but a visit a while ago revealed a pretty soulless place with no discernible interest from the owners in promoting or improving the place.
 
editor said:
The sad thing was that the real appeal of the Queen was its 'ad hoc' approach to licensing and once the police clamped down on that, there wasn't a lot left to recommend the place.

I've had some fabulous nights there in the past, but a visit a while ago revealed a pretty soulless place with no discernible interest from the owners in promoting or improving the place.

Oddly enough, I quite liked its 'soullesness'; it was one of the few places in the Town Centre where you could always get a seat and have a conversation. The (largely polish) staff were always helpful and welcoming. I think it added something to the mix of boozers in central Brixton. It was never a replacement for the old Queen though, but as you say that was never on the cards.
 
The new Queen may have been shit, but it was still a pub. Once it's lost, it'll be gone forever, with no chance of anyone ever taking it over and improving it.

After reading the Ed's "lost pubs..." thread recently, it got me wondering about where all the drinkers have gone? All these now-shut pubs once supported a thriving drinking community, but where have all these drinkers gone? They're not all in the Beehive or the Albert or wherever... or there'd be hundreds of people hanging out the doors!

During a little cycle ride around Old Kent Road / Bermondsey yesterday, I developed a theory. There's fucking loads of old-fashioned proper boozers round there.....but we're losing them all around Brixton. Maybe it's to do with the class demographic? Brixton has got very middle class - many of the people living here now aren't the sorts to hang out in boozers all day....whereas the Old Kent Road / Bermondsey area (as far as I know) appears to retain it's working class identity and the people who have always lived there. I'm not saying the middle class don't drink/workers do - it's not that black and white - but the sort of people moving to Brixton (and living in expensive flats of the sort likely to be built at the Queen) appear more likely to spend their alco money in the supermarkets and the new style bars, than in a good old boozer. If there's not a market to support all the pubs, then it's inevitable that some are going to close....... RIP. :(

There was a thread on the queen on here some time ago - around the time it shut and reopened - I seem to remember that the queen was owned by the same people who own the East Dulwich Tavern at the top of Lordship Lane - who I think are the same people building flats at the bottom of Tulse Hill. They sounded as much like a property company as a pub chain. Someone suggested on that thread that the owners would simply let the pub run itself into the ground so they could close it and build on it.....I'm not sure about what the laws are around what a premises is licensed to be used for...but that theory sounds fairly believable to me....
 
Brixton Hatter said:
During a little cycle ride around Old Kent Road / Bermondsey yesterday, I developed a theory. There's fucking loads of old-fashioned proper boozers round there.....but we're losing them all around Brixton. Maybe it's to do with the class demographic?

Wander through the great East Street market in Walworth on a Sunday and you sense it has retained a real working class atmosphere. It feels different in that respect to Brixton market.

Both have changed dramatically with regard to ethnic make up, but East Street/Walworth seems to have remained more working class.
 
Brixton Hatter said:
They sounded as much like a property company as a pub chain.
That's what they are. They also own the Dogstar and more recently Brixton Cycles.

As for people going to pubs, there's been a downward trend for community boozers for a long time.
 
Current planning application is:

Demolition of existing building and erection of a part 2, part 3, part 4 storey building comprising public house at part ground and basement floor level together with 14 self-contained flats on part ground floor and floors above (Re-submission following Appeal Decision).

Approved recently.

However, remember what happened to the Harriers re: the 'demolition and rebuild pub permission', which is what it got too; pub knocked down leaving hole in ground, new planning permission applied for for all-flats and no pub. Still ongoing that one, meanwhile we in the area have to deal with hoardings blocking the pavemets etc etc and no pub, flats or indeed anything at all.


It is the Black Ant company again (of EDT and Dogstar fame, and also that giant steel thing going up by Valentia Place I think).
 
prunus said:
Current planning application is:

Demolition of existing building and erection of a part 2, part 3, part 4 storey building comprising public house at part ground and basement floor level together with 14 self-contained flats on part ground floor and floors above (Re-submission following Appeal Decision).

Approved recently.

However, remember what happened to the Harriers re: the 'demolition and rebuild pub permission', which is what it got too; pub knocked down leaving hole in ground, new planning permission applied for for all-flats and no pub. Still ongoing that one, meanwhile we in the area have to deal with hoardings blocking the pavemets etc etc and no pub, flats or indeed anything at all.


It is the Black Ant company again (of EDT and Dogstar fame, and also that giant steel thing going up by Valentia Place I think).

Thanks I couldn't find that.

I think what you're saying about the re-application will happen. I mean who would buy a "Luxury Appartment" above a pub/bar?
 
To what extent does a Borough's planning committee have powers to thwart any 'shut down a pub and turn it into expensive flats' proposals?

This is relevant to some local concerns I have over in Southwark -- more on these on a new thread later ;) but any information welcomed ...
 
fanta said:
Wander through the great East Street market in Walworth on a Sunday and you sense it has retained a real working class atmosphere. It feels different in that respect to Brixton market.
.

What's a working class atmosphere when it's at home? Pearly Queens striding the market streets, a greater percentage of cheekie chappies, more Elizabeth Duke hoops than usual?

:confused:

TBH, I'm not sure Brixton market's changed in class all that much. Short of a couple of additions (an upmarket, understocked deli and a quality pizza joint) that could loosely be considered 'posh, the market's largely of the same feel (to me at least) and make-up as it was 30 years ago. Many of the same traders or relatives trading as well. Certainly the underwear stalls ain't got suddenly more classy.

It's smaller, less busy and more rundown for sure, but that's not a class issue for me. East Street may feel a little more 'bustly' at times, but I'm mystified by your perception of it feeling more 'working class'...
 
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