Duke of Hamilton owner pledges he’ll take gastropub plans off the menu - Boozer that survived developers’ housing bid gets ready for a new landlord
Published: 03 February 2011
by DAN CARRIER
THE watering hole at the centre of a tug-of-war planning battle over its future will remain a pub despite the retirement of its long-standing landlord.
Michael “Woody” Wooderson, who has managed the historic 300-year-old Duke of Hamilton in New End, Hampstead for 20 years, retires this weekend.
But having staved off the threat from developers who eyed the site as a possible location for new houses, regulars have been delighted to learn a new publican will keep the bar intact.
It has been bought by the same firm who manage The Barnsbury in Islington and last night new boss Steve Coxshall said he was committed to keeping the ale flowing in the backstreet local.
It will close from Sunday until March for a few alterations, but Mr Coxshall said the emphasis will be on fine real ales and he insisted the Duke would not be transformed a gastro-pub relying on food sales.
“We wanted to set up a small boutique pub chain with our emphasis on saving old British pubs and serving microbrewery’s ales,” he said.
“This will remain a pub. There is more care required in looking after real ales and it is something I have been passionate about for a long time.” The pub was at the centre of an dispute last year between its former owners the Wellington Pub Company, who asked for Town Hall permission to close the pub and build two houses in its place, and regulars who wanted it to stay open. Customers such as runner David Bedford and Hampstead councillors Conservative Chris Knight and Lib Dem Linda Chung helped spearhead a petition that collected 800 signatures opposing the closure.
Hampstead and Kilburn MP Glenda Jackson also intervened, writing to the Town Hall’s planning department expressing her concern at the loss of another pub in Hampstead village.
The Campaign for Real Ale’s (Camra) north London spokesman John Cryne said he was due to meet the new owners in the coming fortnight.
He said: “We are very pleased at the outcome – the Duke will remain a pub. We have been told there will be some changes but we hope they won’t be too radical.”
Mr Cryne added that the trend for Hampstead pubs to concentrate on food – the nearby White Bear and The Wells Tavern have in recent years become known for their menus – was not likely to happen at the Duke.
He added: “They said they will offer normal pub grub. These days it is rare that pubs don’t serve food – but we have been told it will definitely not be a gastro-pub. It would be good to see honest pub food served alongside genuine, good quality real ale.”
Mr Wooderson said he had enjoyed running the Duke for two decades, but was also now looking forward to retirement.
Hampstead Conservative councillor Chris Knight said: “It is a great result. We’ve kept our pub instead of it being replaced by two ugly houses.”