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| ‘Hands off our gin palace,’
cry angry campaigners |
Punters are desperate to keep
their 19th-century boozer the way it is
FOR guitar-thrashing rock ‘n’ rollers, it is a must-see
stop on a musical tour of Camden, a fringe venue where record label
scouts drop in to check out tomorrow’s best bands.
But for residents in Kentish Town, the landmark Bull and Gate bar
in Kentish Town Road is also a much-loved 19th-century pub that
they are desperate to keep the way it is.
The ornate pub (pictured) was put up for sale at auction earlier
this year, sparking fears that the building would be heading for
a facelift.
A community researcher is now leading the campaign to save the historic
bar being re-developed.
Caroline Hill, from pressure group Kentish Town Road Action, delved
into the pub’s past and put together a package that has convinced
the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to list the building
at Grade II.
While mystery still surrounds the future of the bar – details
of the sale are being kept fiercely under wraps – the move
means that any attempt to change the pub will require special listed
consent and would almost certainly end up being scrutinised by Camden
Council’s planning department and elected councillors.
Ms Hill, who lives in a street close to the pub, received confirmation
by DCMS on Tuesday that the bar has new planning protection.
In a written response, Elaine Pearce, a DCMS case manager, highlighted
the details of the preserved pub.
She said: “The Bull and Gate is a fine Victorian pub in the
Gin Palace tradition with exuberant internal and external detailing
and a well-surviving quality pub interior.”
The new listing is similar to protection placed on the nearby Assembly
Rooms bar in Kentish Town Road – also considered historically
important – and the Pineapple pub in Leverton Street.
The cluster of pubs and the nearby Forum music venue in Highgate
Road are mentioned in a dossier written by advisers to the DCMS.
The same report repeatedly mentions the pub’s ‘Gin Palace’
nameplate. It would now need a major reversal by top planners if
any potential developers were to succeed in altering or removing
it.
The Bull and Gate’s architect is unknown although research
shows that it was built in 1871 and originally known as Boulogne
Gate, a resting point for travellers heading in and our of London.
Ms Hill said: “I saw that it had been put up for sale and wanted
to do something about it. It would not be listed unless somebody
had written to them. They looked through the old photographs and
have decided to list it, which is great news.”
• Kentish Town Road Action are opposing developers’ plans
to open a takeaway in Kentish Town Road. Ms Hill said: “We
do not want more fast food outlets in Kentish Town Road. We do not
want it to become an extension of Camden Town.” |
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