Dulwich residents voice concerns over abandoned pub

14 Dec Dulwich residents voice concerns over abandoned pub

The Grove Tavern pub, located in Lordship Lane, Dulwich. Photographer: Katie Streather.

Dulwich residents fear for the future of one of their most historic pubs, following a local society meeting, reports Leanne Cresswell

When 31-year-old Danny Warren was kicked out of his family home 7 months ago, he was left to face the cold London streets alone. Today, he feels abandoned, words that are equivalent to the shelter that he is temporarily living in. With bin bags filled with personal belongings next to him, Warren accommodates himself in Dulwich’s most historical pub, The Grove Tavern. In 2014, the pub encountered a kitchen fire, and has since been left to deteriorate.

“I like it here. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not homely in the slightest, but I feel a lot safer sleeping here, than on your local park bench,” says Warren. “It’s clear that residents don’t want me here. They want the building regenerated and I can understand why, you can picture it to be beautifully decorated. But for obvious reasons, it wouldn’t benefit me. It would be a pain to move on, especially during the Winter.”

40 residents voiced their concern on November 4th at a public meeting held in Streatham and Marlborough Cricket Club Pavilion. The loss of community benefits, the deteriorating condition of the building and the fact that the council are not dealing with the homeless people that are using the site, were a few of many issues raised.

Chairman of the Dulwich Society, Ian McInnes, said: “Locals would just like the pub back, although there are plenty of other pubs in the area. We’re aware that the site is used by a couple of homeless people for shelter, and other people tend to camp in the garden. Surely the Council should be dealing with the homeless, and the tenant should secure the site to prevent the garden being used. We just don’t want the building to go to waste.”

A small majority of the public were in favour of keeping the building as a community facility, as well as a pub.

Community Activist in Dulwich, Robin, commented: “Whilst at the meeting, I found that the most interesting discussion was between an Arts group, music group, and a theatre group. They spoke about joining forces to create an Arts Centre which would include public meeting rooms, performance spaces, with a restaurant on the ground floor.

She went on to say: “Having something like this would be a credit to our community, as we don’t have anything like it. I think that it would be a brilliant way to bring the community closer.”

For Warren, the uncertainty of his future is unknown. For now, he claims that he will continue to take shelter at the pub until he is told to move on.

Although there was no consensus for the best way forward, the meeting agreed that residents will act as a team and use the press and other forms of social media to highlight their concerns for the pubs future.

Images of the Grove Tavern pub: