Drafthouse pub Lordship Lane

[stephen509]

How about an estate agents?

[edhistory]

A greengrocer.

John K

[Sue]

edhistory Wrote:

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> A greengrocer.

>

xxxxx

Crikey, that takes me back.

It was one, wasn't it?

[KidKruger]

yes it was a big very busy greengrocers, you could hardly get by on the pavement on a Saturday.

[footandmaff]

I went there last night, admittedly a monday night, and it was pretty dead. On the plus side though they seem to have a new manager who is keen to revamp the beer list, long overdue in my opinion. They had a special on last night for Shoreditch Triangle IPA for ?2.75 a pint; I don't think I've ever paid that for a pint. Admittedly some of their other offerings are more expensive, but they're also usually stronger than your typical pub offerings so I'd rarely order a pint anyway. Seems strange that they'd bring in new staff if they're supposedly closing though.

[Penguin68]

When I started drinking (legally) it was 2/6 (12.5p) for a pint of Scottish Ale. And 2/9 for a pint of Guinness. Happy days (what I can remember of them!)

[david_carnell]

I'm with Quids and Jah on this.

When places like the Oglander, Hoopers and other pubs are being turned into shoe box flats it's crazy that bars are trying to cram into small former shops.

[StraferJack]

It's not crazy. It's not (from my perspective) desirable but it's not crazy

Fewer people want to go to big back st pubs

More and more people want to live in london

So it's logical. Just a shame as well

[DulwichFox]

Perhaps any new owner should rename it 'The Tardis'

May give one a certain perception of space...

Cream colors and icy blues combinations can convert a small interior into a seemingly bigger space.

Reds will make a room look smaller.

Reds also compresses time. Anyone who has spent a seemingly 2 hours in a darkroom only to emerge

having lost most of the day.

Blues give the opposite perception. Someone having a meal in such a room will feel they have been there for hours.

They are likely to drink more.

Foxy.

[Mick Mac]

david_carnell Wrote:

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> I'm with Quids and Jah on this.

>

> When places like the Oglander, Hoopers and other

> pubs are being turned into shoe box flats it's

> crazy that bars are trying to cram into small

> former shops.

There is a difference between a pub and a bar of course. Most openings these days are bars rather than pubs. Bars are small space ventures and are popular currently. Big open pubs are no longer what people want.

I'm afraid thats just the way it is. You might do better opening yet another bar next door to the Draft House than you would trying to get hoopers to work as many people like to be able to move from bar to bar/pub on a night out hence LL does well as its "bar central", a focal point for people to have a whole evening out. Also on LL people like to people watch - you cant do a lot of that at Hoopers.

[Jeremy]

SJ has a point... you're not comparing like-with-like when you talk about Hoopers and the Draft House. A backstreet pub with singalongs and real ale is hardly going to attract the same crowd as a high street bar in a buzzy location serving world beers and Korean fried chicken.

It may be ironic, but it's not crazy.

[david_carnell]

I wasn't really trying to compare the two. Merely highlighting the (on the surface at least) illogical nature of pub conversion.

[Sue]

footandmaff Wrote:

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They had a special on last night for

> Shoreditch Triangle IPA for ?2.75 a pint; I don't

> think I've ever paid that for a pint.

xxxxxxxx

The EDT usually has Lighthouse for - I think - ?2.70 a pint :)

[Jah Lush]

And The Great Exhibition has Laines for ?2.70 a pint too.

[Jeremy]

Fair enough DC. I do agree it's rather paradoxical. Anyway, Mick Mac explains it better than me...

[cle]

Is Hoopers becoming flats?

Such a shame - could be quite the focal point for that part of SE5/SE15 which is a few mins from anything. The Gowlett works and that's a lot more remote. The Montpellier is on a busier stretch, but same principle applies.

[Jeremy]

I don't think there are any plans... I'm sure if permission had been sought, it would be all over the forum! But it does seem like a likely outcome.

It really is/was a nice pub... they must have spent quite a bit on the refurb. One of the best beer selections round these parts too, with a few foreign/microbrew bottles. They engaged the local community, helping out with the Ivanhoe Rd street party, etc. They had music and comedy nights. They tried showing different sports. I even seem to remember they did French bistro food at one point (am I imagining that?). But it just didn't work in the end.

[david_carnell]

You do wonder what else a pub had to do to turn over a profit. In this instance you can't even blame a pub-tie since Jamie owned the place outright as a free house.

In winter if there weren't many people in there it could feel a little cold but I don't know many pubs that don't. And at least he had the snug as a smaller space to cosy up in, unlike many of the aircraft hanger refurbs in other pubs that demolish every interior wall and divide.

I think my own tastes in pubs are rather anachronistic but the drinking habits and tastes of the majority have obviously changed. Beer duty doesn't help any landlord but I'm not sure what else can be done to save the backstreet boozer.

[Jeremy]

I dunno... maybe the key round here is to go for a more modern/fashionable feel. Seems to be working for the Great Exhibition.

[StraferJack]

Didn't Jamie @ Hoopers have specific issues with some of local residents objecting to evening entertainment? I thought that was the main stumbling block

[david_carnell]

Perhaps - but why aren't the local residents the ones drinking in there?

Places like the Montpellier and the Victoria took over old backstreet pubs and have made them work, albeit in areas where there is at least a good footfall.

But when you think about the huge housing estate next to Hoopers and the lack of alternatives unless you walk up the hill to the Canning or down onto Bellenden then I'm still not sure why it was never more popular.

[Sue]

StraferJack Wrote:

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> Didn't Jamie @ Hoopers have specific issues with

> some of local residents objecting to evening

> entertainment? I thought that was the main

> stumbling block

xxxxx

There was one particular resident.

Jamie did everything he reasonably could to address her complaints, including putting up hideous shutters inside the pub, but she was still not happy.

Yes, they did have a French chef at one point, but it was far from bistro food if I recall.

His first attempt at a menu was things like ham sandwiches. Apparently he thought that the English had not changed their food preferences since the fifties. I did mention this to whoever was the bar manager at the time (Nick I think) and I think the menu changed a bit.

Then for a while (I don't know if it was the same chef) it included stuff like "a selection of breads" which turned out to be a plate of dried up pitta bread. If it had been anywhere else it would have gone straight back, but I knew Jamie and Viv through putting on music nights there for a while, so didn't feel I could complain.

I recognise that Jamie was trying to give Hoopers the feel of an old school back street boozer, but I always felt that the decor could have been updated - in particular the horrid swirly carpet at one end of the room - without straying too far from that concept. I never much liked it as a place to spend an evening unless there was music on.

He did usually have a good selection of ales, though.

The pub really picked up at one point when Pete (I think) put on musicians such as James Riley who brought a much younger crowd down, and there was a completely different and much welcome vibe, but apparently Jamie didn't renew Pete's contract - though Pete did reappear later on. But the writing was on the wall by then.

[Jeremy]

I liked it... I found it quite "homely". Never really noticed the carpet. Although there was a rather awkward narrow bit by the corner of the bar. As for food - I remember seeing things like beef bourguignon advertised briefly, although admittedly I never tried (or even saw) it. Food is key, I suppose... name me a succesful pub round here that can't rustle up something half decent to eat.

I was also under the impression that there was one particular resident who was opposed to live music. Although I only have limited sympathy for someone who moves next to a pub and then complains about noise... it's understandable nonetheless.

[neilson99]

Can we have accompanying threads praying for it to be a Little Waitrose/not another estate agent.

Come of EDF folk your standards are slipping.

[charliemcveigh]

Hi people - it's been a while...we are not selling up for sure - just speculative to see what interest there may be. We're not losing money but it is marginal. I don't think we have always had it right but also feel that - in hindsight - it's not the best lay-out and street position for a Draft House. However I do love the place and I feel we are in a good place with it right now. And in fact things have picked up markedly in the last few weeks so thanks for being there. Though I hear from other traders on the Lane that business in the last year or two has been tough.

The new manager is Ivor who was at our Tower Bridge site before. I think he is raising the tone and - as you say - the beer list is getting an overdue refresh.

The ?2.75 pint is a daily offer on an interesting cask ale - when it's gone it's gone. We're also running a British Keg festival all summer and there should always be a big range of awesome beers on.

We'd love to make it work and - as I say - there are some green shoots.

Do pop in and say hi to Ivor - he lives a couple of blocks away so knows the 'hood.

All best,

Charlie