Published: 6 December, 2013
By ALICE HUTTON

THREE hundred years of history will come to an end if plans to close one of Hampstead’s oldest pubs and turn it into a six-bedroom house go ahead.

With a few rebuilds and name changes over the years, The Old White Bear, in Well Road, has been trading as a public house since around 1704.

The existing two-storey building, constructed towards the end of the 19th century, has been sold to a property company after staff were unable to buy the freehold.

A planning application was officially submitted to Camden Council on Monday to change it into a family home.

In a letter and email to customers, the bar team at The Old White Bear said they would be calling last orders on February 2 next year and that they were “greatly saddened”.

Hampstead shops campaigner Jessica Learmond-Criqui called the move “so tragic on a number of fronts” and said she hoped that residents would fight to save the pub.

She added: “There is a sense in the community that people are shocked. There is also a sense of outrage at losing such an important part of the local area.”

The planned house will have a kitchen, living room, library and courtyard garden on the ground floor, four bedrooms on the first floor and two on the second, including a master bedroom with en-suite bathroom. The pub basement would be converted into an office and laundry room.

The pub, in Hampstead Conservation Area, is not- ed as making a “positive contribution” to its character. In their letter, bar staff write that, despite their best efforts, they have been unable to save the pub. They thank supporters and friends for their loyalty.

“It goes without saying that we are all devastated, both personally and professionally,” the letter to customers adds.

“The relationships that all the staff have built over the last four years with you have truly made working at The Old White Bear a pleasure and a privilege. We are very proud of what we have managed to establish and are greatly saddened in the knowledge that The Old White Bear and all that we are will no longer be. We want to thank you all for your support and kindness. We cannot express how grateful we are for your continued loyalty.”

The letter adds: “We will dearly miss The Old White Bear and all of you who have made it the cherished place we have come to know and love.”

A spokeswoman for The Old White Bear was “not at liberty” to comment.

Owner Braid Ventures Ltd did not reply to calls for comment through its agent Grainger Planning Associates.