CAMRA estimates that in 2012 18 pubs closed permanently every week. If you like going to the pub, as I do, that's a travesty. Undoubtedly, some of the pubs that closed will have been not very good pubs. Some, though, will have been perfectly good pubs from a customer point of view, but which have not been run profitably, or profitably enough, to be sustainable.
The reasons that perfectly good pubs close are varied and manifold. If you drink lager, supermarket deals often come in at not much more than 50p a can, whereas a pint in the pub can be nearly £4 (or more, in central London). It's worth noting, of course, that a can is smaller than a pint, but psychologically it's an eightfold increase per 'drink' for the privilege of drinking it in the pub.
I don't drink lager (much), but the differences are still stark. Supermarkets often sell lager at 3 bottles for £5 - £1.67 per bottle. Home Bargains sells some bottles at £1. At my local, a pint - which is 68ml bigger than a bottle - is £3.80.
To me, there's little comparison, especially with ales. Lager from a can tastes pretty much identical to lager from a keg, but bottled ale - even if it's bottle conditioned, which most aren't these days - doesn't come close to a cask pint. It's not just the physical product, though. To me, there's something special about going to the pub. The atmosphere, the people, the sense of occasion are all up there with the beer itself. The extra money's not for the beer, it's for the experience of drinking in a convivial and enjoyable atmosphere, which you just don't get from opening a bottle from the supermarket.
Of course supermarkets aren't entirely to blame for pubs closing. We live in times of austerity, so we are told, and people simply can't afford to go out as often as they used to. In some areas, closing pubs are a consequence of a changing demographic that doesn't use pubs, whether for cultural, religious or other reasons. In these instances, the closure of pubs is simply a case of supply and demand - and is the market working exactly as it should.
PubCos are also blamed - sometimes, I think, unfairly, for the closure of pubs.
In London, property prices are so high that closed pubs are often snapped up for conversion into apartments, meaning that once closed a pub is gone and forgotten forever.
But whatever the cause, pubs are closing. I think that's sad, because I like pubs. I can't afford to go as often as I'd like, but here in Bow we are blessed with some excellent pubs. My personal favourites include, in no particular order, the Coborn Arms, who very kindly play Bradford City for us whenever they're on SKY, the Eleanor Arms, with its Minestone of Sound, and the Lord Tredegar, with its amazing beer garden and Sunday lunches.
We also have lots of closed pubs nearby. There are two on my street. And as we all know, once a pub closes, especially in London, it rarely reopens. So imagine my delight when I found out that a pub not far from where I live was to reopen. I happened upon it by chance when driving past on my way to work, and a quick Twitter check confirmed that the former Duke of Wellington in Bromley-by-Bow had been bought by Antic London and was to reopen as the Galvanisers Union.
Let's give full disclosure here:
Would I prefer that the pub reopened under its original name? Yes
Would I prefer that the pub used an apostrophe? Yes
But here's the positive: a closed pub has reopened. What's more, it's being run by the same people who run the Leyton Technical, a pub I was in not two weeks ago, which I found very much to my tastes.
After establishing that tonight would be opening night, I resolved to go. On walking from my flat to the pub by an admittedly slightly convoluted route I passed no fewer than six closed pubs:
The former Bromley Arms, Fairfield Road. Now converted to apartments. The Caledonian Arms was also on Fairfield Road, but in the opposite direction to the pub I was travelling to - and passing that would have been convoluted!
The former King's Arms, Bow Road. Now converted to a hotel.
The former Rose & Crown in Stroudley Walk has been converted into the somewhat unconventional combination of a Piri Piri Chicken shop and an Espresso bar
This former Seven Stars is now flats
This former Taylor Walker pub (note the tiling on the wall), the Imperial Crown, is now apartments
This former Bass Charrington pub is another example of a pub turned into flats
And until today, the Duke of Wellington would have made a seventh closed pub on this route. But as I approached, I could see the lights on (no signage up as yet). When I first moved to London, this pub was open but it looked like a real dive. Now, without any boarded up windows, it looks very inviting:
I love the signage on these doors harking back to when pubs had a lounge (or saloon) and a bar (or tap room):
And the Lounge's opposite number:
Between the pub closing and reopening the whole block had a complete refurbishment, including painting of the brickwork. Because the pub was boarded up at the time, it didn't extend right into the windows. The effect of this now the windows have been replaced adds real character to the pub and is a unique part of its history:
Here's the entrance:
And guess what...I arrived at the pub at 6:15, a quarter of an hour before it was due to open. Which means I got the very first pint pulled off the newly opened Galvanisers Bar. I opted for a Dark Star Hophead, and damn nice it was too:
So what of this newly reopened pub? In my opinion, this should be a success. Amazingly friendly staff, a good selection of real ales on cask and in bottles and, as I understand it, food coming soon, this pub has everything it needs to be successful as long as it can draw the punters in. I certainly enjoyed myself here and have already recommended it to my friends.
I'll certainly be back. Soon.
Is this the return of the pub? I most definitely hope so.
