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Loss of our traditional pubs leaves bitter taste
• I WAS mortified to learn recently that one of Hampstead’s oldest hostelries, The Flask in Flask Walk, is shortly to close and reopen as yet another gastropub.
The current managers, Simon Allen and Andrew Thomson, since taking over last autumn, have done an excellent job in increasing the business both in terms of ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ trade.
The result of this is that it is now very busy and attracting many customers that it did not have before.
A managed house that opened in 1874, now owned by Young and Company, London’s oldest brewery (founded in Wandsworth in 1581 but now no longer brews, it having outsourced its brewing interests in 2006 to the Charles Wells brewery in Bedford), it promised it would be carrying out a sensitive refurbishment.
The current management team was invited to submit a business plan that, if approved by Young’s, would see the house restored to its former glory while still remaining a traditional public house as called for by its customers who were consulted about the style of pub they would prefer before the business plan was submitted.
This did not, however, please Young’s.
They decided that upon refurbishment the house would become a gastropub and the only part of the building that would remain as a traditional drinking establishment would be the tiny public bar in the far corner, nearest to the end of Flask Walk.
Nobody can argue that this house does not require immediate attention. It has been neglected for many years by Young’s whose job it was to maintain it. The decor and furniture clearly show signs of better days. I must admit that the staff do their very best to keep it clean, but no amount of cleaning can eliminate the wear, tear and neglect that it has suffered over the years.
Do we really need another gastropub in Hampstead, I ask? This will bring the tally of gastropubs, all within walking distance, to nine.
In the eight years I have worked in the area I have seen numerous traditional pubs close or go down the gastro route and there are now only two such premises remaining – the Duke of Hamilton and Ye Olde White Bear, both of which are a fair distance from the high street and are on the north end of the village.
Fortunately, the owners of these two extremely successful privately operated houses have no plans to change direction and as such these houses are not under similar threat.
Maybe it is not too late for Young’s to rethink their plans. Messrs Allen and Thomson have certainly done their homework, demonstrated that they are the best way forward and, more importantly, they have their loyal customer base behind them. Is it really necessary to attempt to repair something that was not broken in the first place?
JOHN GRAHAM
Holford Road, NW3
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