Swan song?
A quick post because I’m pushed for time. But it’s a topic I’ve been meaning to write about - and I promised a reader that I would.
The photo above (courtesy of here) is of a local pub, The Swan, on Clapton Common.
Many residents are angry because it is in the process of being sold off by owners Punch Taverns. They’re particularly annoyed by the fact that none of the pub staff or customers knew about this, or were consulted on the plans.
The situation is particularly delicate because the pub is being bought by local Orthodox Jews who plan to turn the building into a synagogue.
There are arguments on both sides, as this letter from a local Orthodox Jew shows. If, as he says, Hackney Council makes it difficult for his community to create new facilities of this kind, then who can blame them for buying a suitable building like the pub?
For what it’s worth, the Swan isn’t my favourite local drinking hole (although I like it well enough, and occasionally drop in for a pint), and if the owners want to sell it that’s their prerogative. That said, there are precious few pubs in this locality, and this one is genuinely welcoming to all communities. The only other boozer in the area is down by the canal, and that is so tiny that it could never meet demand.
What I don’t like about the situation is that The Swan appears to have been sold off without the knowledge of those people whose livelihoods depend on it, and without telling the people for whom it is a popular community facility. That is shabby.
If Punch Taverns must sell, I’d prefer to see the pub on the open market, rather than sold off in a secretive deal, which was obviously going to be controversial from the outset. That way, if there’s enough local will to keep the building in use as a pub, I’m sure people will raise the money to do it. Or convince another buyer to step in on their behalf - it’s certainly a pub that could, with an imaginative approach, be very profitable indeed.
There’s more on the story at the new campaign site www.savetheswan.com. And if you’re in the area, and you want to show your support, there’s a meeting at the pub at 7pm this Sunday (7th September).
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Hi Quinkie
I was involved in a number of unsuccessful ’save the local pub’ campaigns in the 90s and also a conversion of a disused synagogue into a business centre. Communities change. If local people feel strongly enough to mount a campaign to keep a social venue going, it’s worth doing. What would Hackney be without Chats Palace?
xxx
Pants
Comment by Pants — 5th September, 2008 @ 11:18 am
How about an Orthodox Jewish pub! Kosher wine on offer everyone happy
Comment by Cassland — 5th September, 2008 @ 1:53 pm
Orthodox Jews want to live in harmony with the wider community. The Orthodox Jews in Hackney are proud to be in one of the few areas in the world where Jews and Muslims, synagogoes and mosques are friendly nieghbours. statistics from the police confirm the Jews as a violonce free community. Whats happend now. Hackney Council has turned its back on this community and have invested massive resources to resist the expension of exsisting/new synagogoes operatings. They are no being forced to compete and outbuy existing community facilities to meet thier growing need. We can still save the Swan. All we need is to persuade Hackney Council leaders to see sense and offer meaningful support, not just a lip service,to all local communities even those who dont vote for the Labour party.
Comment by isaac leibowitz — 5th September, 2008 @ 6:11 pm
I’m not particularly worked up about Orthodox Jews buying the pub. If the owners want to sell, and the Bobovs can buy it - then fair enough. Good luck to them.
What I object to - as I said above - is the fact that Punch Taverns didn’t inform the people who run or use the pub that they were planning to sell, or - more importantly - give others the chance to bid for the building.
I quite agree Hackney Council is useless. Indeed, that’s a major reason I’ve spent many hours this year tramping round Stamford Hill and other parts of Hackney (and Waltham Forest) to campaign for the Tories. I wish we could get some members of the Orthodox Community to come and campaign in other areas of Hackney too - after all, we’ll never get rid of the Labour Party unless we win considerably more council seats than those that are up for grabs in Stamford Hill and the surrounding area.
Comment by Ben — 5th September, 2008 @ 6:58 pm
Is there any other location in the area that could accommodate a pub if the demand were big enough? I’m no fan of organised religion (though this is not an issue in this debate, I still want to point out that if I could choose I would much prefer a public drinking house than a place of worship), but my gut reaction is: the owners should sell to anyone, in any legal circumstances, if they are happy with the transaction; and if the original function of the premises is popular enough then it can surely continue elsewhere under the initiative of the people involved. This new premises may take over another business that is less profitable or has a less imaginative approach to how to promote their product. This is okay; it is healthy, even if it is a secretive deal. The seller must have calculated the real profitability of the Swan, rather than the proposed concepts of a group that are activated only by the notion of losing it.
Comment by Dominic Harvey — 6th September, 2008 @ 8:06 am
Trouble is, many pubs are struggling for survival and breweries are having to cut some of them loose so they don’t go down (the swannie) with them.
How’s this for a blanket statement:
The orthodox jews are better entrepeurners than Hackney Council wannabes; they are better at managing property portfolios better than Hackney too. Leave Hackney out of this.
If you really want to get worked up at about religious building construction, look no further than the wahhabi mega-mosque on the cards in Newham. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2419524.ece
Comment by kris — 7th September, 2008 @ 12:10 pm
Let’s not blame communities. Here is a link to a source that pubs are closing at the rate of 30 a week with urban pubs hardest hit.
http://www.beerandpub.com/documents/publications/news/NR%200508%20-%20pub%20numbers.pdf
So it seems The Swan has gone the way of thousands of other pubs and someone has stepped in to purchase the property. Would you have preferred it to become a boarded up property for junkies and squatters? The sellers made their commercial consideration and decided that the money being offered was more attractive than the income generated from the locals. Yes, it is sad to see local facilities being closed especially one with a rich history and which is interwined in the fabric of the local inhabitants. But why blame the buyers and insinuate that communal relations must inevitably suffer as a result? That is irresponsible reporting.
Comment by David — 8th September, 2008 @ 12:09 am
David - did you actually read my post or my comment under it? Linking to a letter written by a member of the local Orthodox community in which he is evidently worried about community relations is not, as you put it, insinuating that community relations will suffer. Sadly they appear to be suffering already - read through some of the comments on the protestors’ site. Hardly, as you loftily suggest, irresponsible reporting.
Likewise, I’ve made it clear that I haven’t any objections to the Bobovs buying the pub. Why shouldn’t they if it’s for sale? My point was that it would have been better all round if the pub’s locals and supporters had had a chance to put together a bid for the pub too. Not too much to ask, is it?
Comment by Ben — 8th September, 2008 @ 7:11 am
Anything that stops it being converted into silly , cheaply-made flats and sold off for a massive profit is fine by me. At the other end of Lower Clapton Road, the derelict pub there has curiously been set alight, and will no doubt suffer the obligatory make-over, with no sense at all for the local street, area or indeed any sense of it’s surroundings whatsoever. Roll on Tesco’s and their plans for that massive pile of bricks round the corner. Just think, now you won’t even have to walk there. If you buy one of those flats, they can send your weekly pile of crap up in the escalator. Sorry, I’m going a bit off-topic.
Comment by Gary — 8th September, 2008 @ 2:58 pm
As being a local resident I do understand the feeling of the people who are upset on the sad news of what is happening to our lovely pub, however I must admit that I have not visited this pub for quite some time [as many others have told me the same]as this pub is rather in a derelict state, ie. chairs/benches unclean, toilets out of order for a long time and they seem to have no intensions of repairing it.. therfore i changed and no longer go to The Swan for my cup of beer, and now going to Turnpike House or down the road to the Crooked Billet, both of these pubs are minutes to walk from The Swan and are looked after and therfore you now find The Swan to be empty at most times, I seriously dont think its worth the campaign to save it as in the end of the day what will we gain, when there are so many other pubs in Stamford Hill, The Birdcage, The Royal Sovereign, Anchor & Hope, The Wheatsheaf, The Moll, The Criketers, Turnpike House, The Crooked Billet, and many more on Church street, and we all know that there are over 30 pubs closing down every week across the country, It is a real shame to see another pub close down, but i assume it had its day, as long as we have where to drink why should we be so upset and campaign to save it when the seller is totaly right and surely not a charity to keep it open for our benefit.
- Charles, North London
Comment by Charles — 16th September, 2008 @ 11:34 am
Nice try “Charles”, and you even have some valid points. But judging by the email address you supplied, and your use of the phrase “cup of beer” (no pub-goer would ever say that), I suspect you are not declaring a rather more Orthodox interest!
Comment by Ben — 16th September, 2008 @ 11:41 am
Well done, Ben, the ‘cup of beer’ was definitely a ’shmaltz’ herring.
I do have to say that The Swan enjoys a somewhat unsavoury reputation, and Jewish people have avoided walking past it on Saturdays for fear of being heckled.
You know I agree with you in general, if not necessarily for the same reasons, but in this case we must part ways: if there’s a place less for the Lower Orders to assemble, all the better.
Besides, it’s not as if The swan served real ales or something.
Comment by Toni — 17th September, 2008 @ 11:16 am
Oh, and another thing- it does seem as if Punch Taverns are not doing as well as they’d like to recently, which may account for their decision to start selling off in a hurry.
Comment by Toni — 17th September, 2008 @ 7:02 pm
“Charles” of North London seems to be pottering around posting exactly the same comment about the state of The Swan everywhere he can - on the Evening Standard site,and Paul Stott’s blog too.
Personally, as someone who really is both a local resident and a drinker of beer, I’d far rather visit the Swan than the Crooked Billet - even though the latter is less than five minutes walk from my place, and The Swan quite a bit more.
I think his grasp of local geography is a little tenuous too, if he thinks people who live round Clapton Common will just walk to Church Street in a few minutes instead of going to The Swan…
Comment by Nigel — 18th September, 2008 @ 7:37 pm
Charles hasn’t really got the hang of the web. The fool filled in his actual email address, which - erm - quite clearly told me his name.
Luckily for him, I’m much too kind to reveal it here.
Comment by Ben — 18th September, 2008 @ 8:18 pm
Ben, you are right! I dont have the hang of the web! but I surely have a hang in pubs! A real shame, we now cry over spilled milk! The truth hurts! and we all know the pub is rather not looked after and filthy! and we as locals didnt visit it enough, therfore it wasn’t doing well,and seems to be the reason they where looking to sell!
One thing I must say, I was amazed to see them cleaning the windows of the Swan this week! NIGEL you must admit if not for me posting it everywhere would they even think of ever cleaning it?!!
Comment by Charles — 18th September, 2008 @ 9:51 pm
Its so strange how two three inviduals are trying to convince and talk over the general public by wasting precious time of us, arranging meetings, hanging huge banners to save The Swan when in theory I hardly see so many care about it!
This weekend is different because they saw the general interest is declining they came up with organising a BB-Q with entertainment hoping to see us there!
Good luck!
Comment by Joe — 18th September, 2008 @ 10:04 pm
You all out there…….
Its all true about the neglected state of the swan!
but still this is why all like it, its never too full.
Comment by Peter — 18th September, 2008 @ 10:22 pm
How exactly is someone doing something that you’re clearly not interested in “wasting precious time of us” ?
If you don’t care about The Swan, fine. No one’s forcing you to do anything, are they? Other people caring doesn’t actually waste your time, does it? Very peculiar logic there.
Comment by Nigel — 18th September, 2008 @ 10:25 pm
I’m delighted to inform readers that “Charles”, “Joe” and “Peter” are the same person. The IP addresses all lead to Chai… oops. Sorry. I meant, “Charles”
Comment by Ben — 18th September, 2008 @ 10:29 pm
Is the weekend Bar-B-Q still going ahead after the email from Giles Thorley, Chief Executive of Punch Taverns ??
Comment by Peter — 18th September, 2008 @ 10:32 pm
“Charles” stop you are only causing a Chillul Hashem
Comment by Shmuel — 19th September, 2008 @ 8:18 am
Yes, of course this weekend’s BBQ is going ahead.
For anyone reading here who doesn’t know, Punch has said that no contracts have been exchanged - which is contrary to the information a “representative of the buyers” gave at the first public meeting.
That’s cause to celebrate, because it’s far from the done deal that has been reported in the press. But it’s certainly no reason to stop campaigning, until we know that The Swan is safe from closure.
Comment by Nigel — 19th September, 2008 @ 10:22 am
hi Ben and all .. just a quick update .. so Punch did sell the pub to Soloman Goldman of the breakaway Bobov, and indeed the Land Registry shows it was agreed in JULY! so Mr Goldman was correct and Punch were deceitful. Whats new?!.
Exchange is planned for early in January but Mr Goldman then told the Jewish Chronicle he is prepared to lease as a pub, as he did not realise the depth of feeling for this pub. He contacted the camapign before the jewish holdiays and promised to meet after the holidays. We await his return call!
The campaign continues till agreement can be reached and we have a series of events planned up till xmas .. see our website savetheswan.com
Comment by glyn h — 1st November, 2008 @ 1:21 pm