white swan

Can you help Charlton’s White Swan fly?

Neil Clasper38 Comments

White Swan disposal notice in Greenwich Time

A notice in this week’s Greenwich Time indicates that the White Swan’s current owners wish to sell the pub. The White Swan was listed as an Asset of Community Value after a successful campaign by the Charlton Society earlier this year; any community groups interested in bidding for the pub now have until 4th November 2014 to register their request to be treated as a potential bidder. Written confirmation should be sent by email to community-assets@royalgreenwich.gov.uk or by mail to the address listed in the notice above.

White Swan, 15 February 2014

We’re very keen to know if there are any groups with serious interests in bidding – or people interested in forming a group to make a bid. Let us know in the comments below – and let’s hope Charlton doesn’t lose another pub to the property developers.

(PS. Thanks to @TheCharltonSoc for drawing our attention to this on Twitter.)

 

It’s an asset – Greenwich Council acts on Charlton’s White Swan

Darryl Chamberlain4 Comments

White Swan, Charlton, 12 December 2013/ Nikki Coates

The White Swan pub in Charlton Village has been declared an asset of community value by Greenwich Council after a successful application by the Charlton Society.

It means if the building is sold for development, the local community will be asked if it wishes to put together a bid. If it does, then the sale will be put on hold for six months to allow a bid to be put together.

The pub’s currently on the market, but the designation will encourage owner Punch Taverns to sell it as a going concern, rather than as a site for development.

Now the Charlton Society’s looking to repeat the process for the village’s other pub, the Bugle Horn.

“We’re delighted to see the ACV application be granted,” the society’s Andy Donkin told this website. “It’s vital that Charlton keeps two thriving pubs at the centre of the village.”

The pub’s recently reopened, although things still aren’t ideal – when a Charlton Champion drinking party popped in last Thursday, it was told that only Fosters was on offer.

But with a Facebook group dedicated to its future topping 200 members, hopefully better days lie ahead for the White Swan – so long as it can find a sympathetic buyer. Who will step forward?

Two pubs in Plumstead, the Star and the Plume of Feathers, were given ACV status by Greenwich last month, while another Punch pub, the Dutch House, near Horn Park, has also joined the Swan on the list.

Sign up and help protect Charlton’s White Swan pub

Darryl Chamberlain1 Comment

The White Swan, Charlton
The Charlton Society has launched a petition to try to help secure the future of The White Swan pub amid fears for the future of its parent company, Punch Taverns.

The petition asks Greenwich Council to declare the Swan an asset of community value.

If the council approves, it would mean that if the building is put up for sale, then there would be a six-month pause on the sale to enable the community to put together a bid to buy it. To avoid this, the building would have to be sold as a going concern.

While the pub is not under any immediate threat, it was closed for a spell late last year with Punch Taverns’ rent demands casting long-term worries about its future. But Punch itself, which also owns the Bugle Horn, is deeply in debt, with the future of the whole business in the balance.

So the petition’s aimed at making it harder for any future owner of the business to try to sell the building for redevelopment, and to try to ensure that it’s kept in business as a pub.

At the moment, there’s signs of optimism – a 164-strong Facebook group has organised a number of meet-ups in the pub – and there’s a manager in charge who’s interested in developing the business.

While the Charlton Society can ask the council to declare the Swan an asset of community value on its own, proof of interest in the community will help. So sign up, and let’s help try to get the Swan’s future sorted.

Who wants to ride Charlton’s White Swan into the future?

Darryl Chamberlain22 Comments

White Swan, Charlton, 12 December 2013/ Nikki Coates

Let’s be honest, now, the White Swan’s been an ugly duckling of a pub for a long while now. An attempted revamp in 2010 never quite caught on.

For all the attempts to drag it up by its bootstraps, a couple of female friends of mine got grief one summer’s night for the crime of… ordering pints. I’ve not been back since, but I’m told the following manager’s attempt to turn it into a poker hangout didn’t have ace results either.

It was shut for a while, but reopened shortly before Christmas with a new manager in charge while owners Punch Taverns hunt for someone to take it on long-term, albeit at a steep rent of £43,000/ year.

“A rare chance to step into a community pub, located in the heart of Charlton village. The White Swan is a family-friendly establishment that is ideal for hosting events and entertainment. A large patio garden to the rear combined with a commercial kitchen means there is ample opportunity to develop the food trade, particularly in good weather.”

There seems to be a bit of interest in taking on the Swan this time, though – but whether the potential pub bosses have the same ideas as Punch is a curious question. The manager who led the 2010 revamp fancies trying to finish the job, another group fancies trying to recreate the live music success of the Pelton Arms in Greenwich, while there’s also talk of a local brewery showing some interest (small breweries have helped the community buy Nunhead’s Ivy House under new legislation, while the East Wickham Brewery has taken on the long-forgotten Old Loyal Britons in Thames Street, Greenwich).

And then there’s this petition and Facebook page from Kathryn McDowell, who wants to see the Antic group take the pub over. Antic has a fine track record in taking on dowdy pubs and making them shine – particularly the Ravensbourne Arms (ex-George and Dragon) in Lewisham and the now-shut Catford Bridge Tavern (ex-Copperfield), which has been replaced by the Catford Constitutional Club, in a long-shut Conservative club. It’s an interesting company, but has taken nearly a year to do anything with a planned pub in Woolwich’s Equitable House, evidence of a full diary of planned refurbs.

Worth noting, though, that there’s 125 “likes” on Kathryn’s Facebook page – probably more than have ever been in the Swan on a non-matchday for some time.

Do you drink in Charlton and have a preferred pub? Or do you just head straight out of SE7 towards Greenwich or Blackheath if you fancy a tipple? Share your thoughts on Charlton’s pubs – and what do you think can be done to keep the Swan afloat?