The picturesque pub after snowfall [Simon Lamrock]

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A LANDMARK pub is could be on the brink of closure after almost 200 years trading.

Staff at the Ye Olde Swiss Cottage – in the island of the gyratory of busy roads – are understood to have found new jobs and have been telling regulars that the pub’s last trading day is February 1.

The New Journal was told the chalet-style pub, built in the 1830 and currently managed by Samuel Smiths Brewery, is in the process of being sold – but there was no clarification from the operators who did not provide a response to our queries.

Sam Bernstein, who lives nearby and said he had been a regular there for years, said: “We are all very saddened because there have been a few rumours going around for a while now, but it’s still a shock to hear it.

“There aren’t many really good pubs in the area. We have been told that the last day is going to be February 1. Staff are leaving and getting new jobs.”

He added: “It’s not clear who it is being sold to or what the future is for the pub.”

Regulars said the pub had gone downhill since its long serving landlord left in 2022.

The Ye Olde Swiss pub was originally built as a coaching inn next to a tollgate when the now densely populated area was surrounded by fields.

It served traditional English beer to working men and housed a dairy selling milk and cheese.

Ye Olde Swiss Cottage

The current Jubilee line tube station is named after the pub that is surrounded by traffic in the heart of the busy and polluted Swiss Cottage one-way system.

Originally part of the Eyre Estate, it neighbours the Odeon Cinema, which was refurbished in 2011. In 2016, two-storey extensions were built to include guest rooms for and staff accommodation.

Councillor Nina de Ayala Parker, speaking on behalf of Labour councillors in South Hampstead, said: “When we lose pubs, we lose culture. Pubs are not just about having a pint, but frequently used as a social place, and ye olde Swiss was that for so many.

“And right in the centre of the busy roads of Swiss Cottage – a slice of merriness. I am very disappointed and saddened to hear this. As I’m sure many of South Hampstead residents will be too.”

“It’s so, so disappointing for residents, as so often a pub is a beacon of light and culture in the busy lives of the community. “We hold our surgeries at Swiss Cottage, both South Hampstead and Primrose Hill, and we’ve used that pub to have a pint pre- and post-canvassing sessions.”

Primrose Hill councillor Matt Cooper, said: “Ye Olde Swiss has been a pillar of the community for generations. It is a deeply cherished institution and I hope to see it reopen soon under existing or new management.”

The North London Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) said it was aware of speculation about the closure, but would not comment until a concrete statement had come from the brewery.

Sam Smiths have been contacted repeatedly over two days by the New Journal but has not responded. The company is Yorkshire’s oldest brewery, founded in 1758.