Rising costs force Cross Kings pub to shut

Published: 09 July, 2010
by DAN CARRIER

A LEGENDARY King’s Cross music venue is closing this week after legal proceedings were taken to evict the publican over rent arrears.

The Cross Kings in York Way was opened four years ago by Lis Barber, who blames the closure on escalating costs.

She said: “This is essentially a thriving business but we still can’t make enough to keep it going. We should be breaking even, but to turn a profit you basically have to be completely packed every night.”

Pub company Enterprise Inns gave the venue a rent reduction for six months during the worst of the recession but then put the rent back up. 

Now, with a basic rent of £50,000 a year, Ms Barber says that, no matter how successful the pub is, it is always going to be a struggle to make ends meet. 

Ms Barber said she has loved every minute of running the pub and wished she could continue.

She added: “I just loved the building from the moment I saw it. I heard the Guardian were going to move in along the road, with Central St Martin’s [College] also due to open, so I thought it would work. I love this area, having lived around here. It seemed like a good idea.”

With two performance spaces, the Cross Kings quickly developed a reputation for cutting edge music and superb food during the day – journalists from The Guardian ate there every day. 

Previous landlords had run it as The Backpackers, where notorious Sunday “Church” parties were staged. 

Despite the eviction, due to take place yesterday (Thursday), it may not be the end of the Cross Kings. Staff and promoters plan to come together again as the Cross Kings Collective, and stage one-off events elsewhere. 

Ms Barber said: “It is the people who make a place, not the bricks and mortar. We have some wonderful people working here with a lot of expertise.”

A spokesman for Enterprise Inns said: “The Cross Kings is subject to legal proceedings and we will review the future of the pub once these are complete.”