By After Illegally Bulldozing Historic London Pub, Developers Were Ordered to Rebuild it ‘Brick by Brick’
Six years of legal trench warfare has given every reason for West London residents to raise a pint in victory.
A favorite neighborhood pub, which seemed destined to be converted into an apartment block by developers, has been saved by a council ruling that designated the old watering hole as a historic building.
Built in Maida Vale in the 1920s, the Carlton Tavern, with its distinctive tile sign, had one of its walls cut away by bulldozers. Reporting on the story, James Tapper in The Guardian explains that this is a classic real estate developer trick – intentionally damaging buildings so they are condemned.
This time, however, the culprits were ordered to rebuild Carlton’s wall “brick by brick” to its original state, something that has left activists who fought for the rights to his tavern “stunned.”
The pub last served a drink in April 2015. After the CTLX developers received a big ‘no’ to convert the building to apartments, they ordered the building to be demolished just two days before Historic England recommended the Carlton will be granted Grade II listed status for its historical character.
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Lead activist Polly Robertson was the piston behind a community movement that included persuading 5,300 locals to go and petition the Westminster council, which would eventually set “an extraordinary precedent” by ordering the rebuilding of the wall with the same bricks. , and even the same small tiles. used in pub sign.
“We had a suspicion before the demolition that they would do something, so we asked Historic England to think about including it on the list,” said Robertson. the guardian. “They took a plaster cast of each tile, took pictures and documented everything.”
Brick by brick
“We want it to be a great drink that you can come in and have a few pints on tap any day of the week, but we will also have a nice dining room in the back,” said Tom Rees, one of Carlton’s new customers. owners. “We hope we can be everything to everyone.”
I was there the day a bulldozer brought down the @ElCarltonTav. It has now been rebuilt and is ready to reopen. 🍻 https://t.co/6sUF7GDCDN
– Luke Hanrahan (@LukeHanrahan) March 6, 2021
Much of the original fixtures and structure were recovered from the rubble, and almost everything that is usable has been used to fix the wall, which Rees and his business partner consider adds a bit more uniqueness to the place. This includes parts of the bar, railing, and fireplace.
“And to be fair [CTLX]They’ve done an amazing job, ”added Robertson. “It looks fantastic.”
The much-loved tavern, and the only building in the area that survived the Blitz bombings of WWII, will reopen to the public on April 12, when the current COVID-19 closure measures in England are set to ease.
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