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‘Save historic pub names’
THE Camden Civic Society’s annual general meeting on Tuesday night heard how the Society wanted new planning rules introduced to safeguard treasured names of local pubs.
Chairman Martin Morton revealed they were fighting plans by the new owners of the historic Duke and Albany pub in Parkway, who want to change the pub’s name, established in 1828, to The Magnolia.
Mr Morton said: “This is a ridiculous idea, and for too long have we let marketing men rob us of our local history. Who wants to drink in a pub called the Slug and Lettuce, or the Rat and Parrot? The Town Hall needs to work with bodies like English Heritage to ensure our pubs names are safeguarded.”
Another pub to have lost its name is the historic Halfway House, on the corner of Camden Road and Kentish Town Road. It was recently renamed The Camden Eye, bringing to an end more than 200 years of history.
Other pubs which have changed their names include the Castle Inn, now known as the Bullet Bar and Parkway’s N.W.1. which was once the Windsor Castle.
Mr Morton added he hoped publicans were beginning to see sense. He added: “In Swain’s Lane, Highgate, we had the Platinum Bar for a while, but people stopped going there so they have reverted back to The Duke of St Albans.
“On Kentish Town Road, there was the Vulture’s Perch and then the Jolene Celeste. I have never seen a vulture in Kentish Town, and I am pleased to see it has become the Oxford Arms again, which was its original name. But this should not be left to chance: we should have planning laws protecting our pubs.” |
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