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london pubs

Doug & Dinsdale, Pub Preservationists

Some friends recently moved into a house near a Victorian pub on a London back street.

“Everyone thinks we’re lucky,” says our friend, “but I went once and wasn’t made welcome.”

The rumour is that someone wanted to turn it into a gastropub like all the others in the area, but the family of gangsters who own it said no — they like it how it is.

That is, frozen in time c.1975, with bars on its doors, faded paintwork, dusty carpets, and a mere handful of customers.

Has CAMRA explored mob ownership as a way of preserving traditional pub character?

7 replies on “Doug & Dinsdale, Pub Preservationists”

One visit and some local gossip. Hmmm. So many questions. Suspect most pub tenants would prefer to be renting off local gangsters who actually use the pub than off punch or enterprise

Maybe “gangsters” or “mobsters” is the landlord’s or locals’ affectation for the pub company that owns it?

I suppose the opposite of this is the Carpenter’s Arms in Shoreditch, once bought by the Krays for their dear old mum, now a very nice gastropub.

If you ever want a pint in a rough pub, I’ll take you in and look after you. Harder than Ray Winstone, me, like.

I deliberately kept my previous comment brief because I could feel a rant coming on. 15 hours later, let’s see if I’ve calmed down…

I went once and wasn’t made welcome.

No, I’m still peeved. You went once? we’ve done this bit – Ed. You went once and you weren’t made welcome? I’m struggling to avoid using the word ‘diddums’ (and failing, clearly). If I’d moved to a new area I’d expect to have to go to the local pub for a couple of months, week in, week out, before the barman so much as looked me in the eye. You’re a stranger – you’re not on home turf; of course they’re going to look at you sideways. (More precisely, you’re (still) a stranger – you’re not (yet) on home turf.) What do you expect them to do, roll out the red carpet for you? It all sounds very entitled and very, very middle-class.

Maybe I’ve got your friends totally wrong; maybe the pub’s an absolute dump; maybe it really is run by gangsters. But that was my initial reaction, and it seems like it still is.

My money’s on the gangsters tbh.
Who the fuck needs another gastropub instead of a decent old boozer.
‘ave it !

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