BRANCH NEWS

The Watermans Arms at 10-12 Water Lane Richmond reopened on the 21st November 2019 as The Watermans after an extensive refurbishment by the The Ram Pub Company.

The Brewery Tap in Brentford, is due to reopen in December with new management, real ale, music and Santa Maria Pizzas. Fullers state that it has been sympathetically refurbished.

After 14 years of trading as an Off Licence, RealAle.com is now licensed for drinking in store. Opening hours have been extended to 10pm Mon to Wed and 11pm Thur to Sat. They now have three shops & taprooms, located on Richmond Road in Twickenham, Formosa Street in Maida Vale and Golborne Road in Notting Hill.

One of the oldest pubs in Richmond, The Watermans Arms on Water Lane, closed in March this year and is now undergoing substantial refurbishment by the The Ram Pub Company. It's expected to reopen 21st November 2019.

The Roebuck, 130 Richmond Hill, closed on the 7th October for what they call 'a makeover'. The pub is expected to reopen on the 25th October 2019 "with our fresh new look".

The Cricketers at 79 Kew Green, Richmond, has closed. This is assumed to be connected to the sale of part of the Green King's estate.

The Waldegrave Arms at 209 Waldegrave Road, Teddington, that closed on the 6th July 2019 for a refurbishment is to reopen on Friday 5th September at 5pm.

The Brewery Tap in 47 Catherine Wheel Road, Brentford closed it's doors on the 31st August 2019. The pub has closed because of Brentford's redevelopment. Its future is uncertain.

The White Horse, Worple Way, Richmond, has re opened after a refurbishment.

The Lion in Wick Road, Teddington reopens (soft launch) under its new management today, 6pm. Visit their website at thelionteddington.co.uk

On Saturday 14th September, the London Brewers Alliance (LBA) will be coming to the Fuller’s Griffin Brewery for the return of the LBA Beer Festival. Showcasing over 50 of London’s best breweries the festival reinforces the depth and breadth of the London beer scene.

Tickets this year are £35 (plus a booking fee) from here: www.eventbrite.co.uk

This year there's more than 50 breweries due to take part. Your ticket covers all the beer - as many as you want - as well as the inevitable festival glass and programme. Many of the actual brewers will be there in person too. Find out more at www.londonbrewers.org

Ealing Brewing at Unit 2 The Ham, Brentford have announced that they have been granted a premises licence. This will enable them to open a taproom to the public as soon as they have enough beer ready.

The Kew Brewery at 477 Upper Richmond Road West, East Sheen, have announced that their Brewhouse tap room will be closed until the end of August 2019. If you wish to pick up beer from the Brewhouse please email the brewery at info@kewbrewery.co.uk

A planning application has been submitted to knock down O'Riordans on Brentford High Street and replace it with a 3-storey block of four flats.

You can comment on this application by visiting the planning website and entering the application ref P/2019/2873.

The Waldegrave Arms at 209 Waldegrave Road, Teddington, closed on the 6th July for a refurbishment. It is expected to reopen at the end of August at 5pm Friday 5th September 2019.

The Steam Packet (its original 1870s name) at 85 Strand-on-Green, Chiswick is set to reopen on Wednesday 7th August at 5pm. Their website would suggest that three cask beers will be available; Twickenham Grandstand, Sharp's Atlantic and Doom Bar.

After a pending change of Leaseholder, the Lion in Wick Road, Teddington, is expected to close somtime in August for ~10 days.

Twickenham Fine Ales has just signed the lease for the Rifleman at 7 Fourth Cross Road, Twickenham. The pub is expected to be officially re-opening after a refurbishment, Thursday 8th August, with several Twickenham Brewery beers and at least one guest and a cider.

A new brewery is in the process of starting up in Twickenham called Jawbone Brewing. The owner and head brewer is Ben (ex Weird Beard).

Ealing Brewing have started brewing at their new site, Unit 2 The Ham, Brentford, TW8 8EX, from the people who own Marko Paulo Beers and the Owl & The Pussycat in Northfields. See twitter.com/EalingBrewing

Total number of London breweries increases to 123!

Not branch news, but, The Ram Quarter, which stands on the site of the former Young’s Brewery, will provide a new home for Sambrook’s, which is relocating from its current premises in Battersea. Read more: www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/july-2019/brewing-is-back-in-the-heart-of-the-brighter-borough/

The Six restaurant and bar (Kings Arms Hotel ex Hall & Woodhouse and now under independent ownership) at Lion Gate, Hampton Court Road, East Molesey, has 'soft' opened on the 15th July. Two handpumps serving Hogs Back TEA and Twickenham Summer Sun.

The Ham Brewery Tap in Ham has just been sold and the other Enterprise pub, The Hand and Flower (Ei group) has closed after the tenants went bust. Lease on the market.

The Bear on York Street, Twickenham has closed. It will reopen on the 5th July as a new branch of the Be At One chain of Cocktail Bars. www.beatone.co.uk/cocktail-bar/twickenham

The Royal Oak at 38 New Road, Brentford, was closed for a while and now under a new Lessee - Tim and Tosh Rider. It's had a complete refurbishment and name change to The Brook. The bar has six handpumps, a rack of keg taps and a blackboard listing the beers & ciders with their prices and ABV.

The Fearless Nomad brewery in the Black Dog Beer House, Brentford, is expected to produce its first brew (by Pete Brew!) in June 2019.

There will be Wimbledon Brewery Tap Takeover at the Masons Arms, Teddington, from 7pm on Monday 20th May. On the pumps will be: Common Pale, SW19 Blonde, Copper Leaf and Phoenix Porter. On keg: Wimbledon Pale, Bravo and Gold Lager.

Tap Takeover by Reunion Ales at Noble Green Wines on Friday May 24th from 3pm. What's currently on Tap (Cask Ales) from Noble Green.

Savills.com are advertising new Free of Tie lease available for the The Rifleman at Fourth Cross Road, Twickenham.

The Watermans Arms in Barnes reopened at 4pm 2nd May.

Cask Beers as of the 2nd May 2019:
Harvey's Sussex Best, Big Smoke Solaris, Big Smoke Cosmic Dawn, Tiny Rebel Critch, Arbor Smack My Brew Up, Purity Pure UBU, Langham Best Bitter, Five Points XPA, Pheasantry Mikado Mild

Cider:
Farmhouse Scrumpy, Sanford Orchard Devon Mist, Thundering Molly, Yellow Hammer, Worleys Red Hen

The Anglers at 3 Broom Road, Teddington will reopen on Tuesday 7th May and be open all day. An official launch party takes place on Thursday May 23rd with entertainment in the garden and charity comedy upstairs in the events room.

In the window of The Rifleman in Twickenham a notice has appeared. It reads: Notice of Forcible Re-entry. Savills, on behalf of Tavern Propco Ltd, the owner and person entitled to the possession of the Premises, have today re-entered the premises, and the lease is at an end. All enquiries concerning the property should be sent in writing, quoting the name and address of the premises to:-
Tavern Propco Ltd.
3rd Floor, 37 Esplanade.
St Helier, Jersey. JE1 1AD

www.jerseyfinance.je/business-directory/alter-domus-jersey-limited

Twickenham tweets have reported that The Bear in Twickenham is to become a cocktail bar.

The Magpie & Crown in Brentford has reopened!

The Sussex Arms & Express Tavern have both announced they have a new 'sister' pub in Barnes, on the site where Barnes Eatery, Hatchetts and previously Strada restaurants once occupied. Called The Watermans Arms (its original name), located at 357 Lonsdale Road, SW13 9PY, on the corner opposite the river and next to the Young's pub the Bulls Head. The orignal Waterman's Arms was built in 1850 and converted to restaurant use in the 1980s. It is due to have its Grand Opening on the 2nd May at 4pm.

Sidney Phillips is advertising that the leasehold of the Hand & Flower on the Upper Ham Road in Ham, Richmond is currently on the market. See www.sidneyphillips.co.uk/news-item/36

The Kings Arms Hotel, 2 Lion Gate, Hampton Court Road, East Molesey. Work is still ongoing on this 14 bed hotel/restaurant & bar. It was expected to be reopening Spring this year but this has now been pushed back to July 2019. The hanging sign for the The Six restaurant and bar (a reference to Henry VIII’s wives!) is now in place.

The Hogarth pub in Teddington, 58 Broad Street, are holding a Beer & Music festival 2nd to 5th May. 20+ different Ales and Ciders and BBQ food.

The Magpie &Crown in Brentford has closed.

A long lost pub is opening at 375 Lonsdale Road, Barnes SW13 9PY, next door to the Bull’s Head. It's called The Waterman Arms on the site where Hatchetts and previously Strada restaurants once occupied. It will be the sister pub to the Express Tavern in Brentford/Kew Bridge. The old Watermans Arms (Watneys pub) was built in 1850 and converted to restaurant use in the 1980s.

A Planning application has been received by Hounslow Council for the George Inn at 114 Twickenham Road, Isleworth. TW7 7DJ. The details are for a change of use from A4 (pub) to D1 - a community centre and prayer facility.

The pub was a Free House and closed on the 30th September 2016. It stands on the corner of South Street and Twickenham Road. The present Grade II listed building (listed May 1973) dates back to at least 1731 although the cellar possibly goes back some four to five hundred years. It is reputed that some form of ale house has been on this site since the thirteenth century.

The Watermans Arms at 12 Water Lane, Richmond, closed its doors on the 18th March and had been (reportably) sold by the Ram Pub Company (Young's). It is one of the oldest pubs in Richmond dating back to at least 1660 and rebuilt in 1898.

Not long after the Board of Fuller, Smith & Turner announced the decision to jettison their brewery and sell it to Asahi Europe Ltd, Georgina Young, their head brewer has accepted the post of Head Brewer at Bath Ales, Hare Brewery in Warmley. She will oversee all aspects of the brewing and packaging of Bath Ales’ brands.

Read more at:
bathales.com/blog/2019/03/bath-ales-appoints-georgina-young-as-head-brewer

Bath Ales became part of the St Austell Brewery family in 2016.

The annual Slingbacks beer festival takes place at Rosslyn Park RFC, Priory Lane, SW15 5JH on the 6th April from 3pm, but to gain access at that time you need to have bought a ticket to the match @ £10.00. It is free entry from 4pm. All proceeds go towards maintaining the basic upkeep and weekly running of the The Slingbacks team. The event will be held on the day of the Rosslyn Park v Cambridge men's rugby game. Why not enjoy a local pint with the game? A variety of local beers, ales and ciders will be available.

The Freehold of the Rifleman* at 7 Fourth Cross Road, Twickenham, has been sold by Enterprise in a job lot of 370 Free-of-tie leases for £350M to Tavern Propco Ltd, a Jersey Ltd company ultimately controlled, through holding companies. The pubs future is now uncertain.

Link to story in the Morning Advertiser:
Ei agrees sale of property portfolio...

*Branch Pub of The Year 2014

Historic Interest—The pub received the accolade of the Inn Sign Society’s annual Sign of the Year award on Friday, 17 January 2014. The occasion was attended by the granddaughter of Rifleman Frank Edwards, the soldier who is pictured on the sign. Veterans of Edwards’ regiment - the London Irish Rifles - were also present plus two pipers who played music that brought a true sense of occasion to the proceedings.

A framed certificate was presented to Mick Laker and Paula Simonon, landlord and landlady [at the time] respectively of the Rifleman, which is a thriving example of how a traditional pub can survive in an era of trendy changes for change’s sake. After receiving the award, Mick said, "We feel very proud to have this award and that our pub’s sign portrays such a fine example of local heritage".

On the 27th Oct 2012 the Mayor of the Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Councillor Rita Palmer, presided over the dedication of a pub sign at The Rifleman in Twickenham. This was to commemorate Frank Edwards going over the top in the First World War at the battle of Loos. A YouTube video of the event at the pub by Alan Benns can be viewed at http://youtu.be/0_a_fVTlGyU

The Angel & Crown in Richmond has a new licensee. Nick Botting is a seasoned restaurateur and licensee. He has worked in venues such as TGI Friday's and The Roadhouse in Camden, north London, before moving to Cornwall and opening his own restaurant. He returned to London to run the Young's-owned Coach & Horses in Kew, which he has since left.

The Bear Kick at 505-507 Upper Richmond Road West, East Sheen, has changed to Enroute 505. No real ale.

Young's & Co have announced that The Park at 19 Park Road, Teddington, TW11 0AB is to reopen, after a major makeover, on Friday 15th March at 7pm. www.parkhotelteddington.com

+++

A planning application for Old Kings Head in Hampton Wick has been submitted to Richmond upon Thames Council. The pub has been closed since 5th Feb 2018.

Proposal - Replacement French doors with balconies/ create of roof terrace on first floor western and southern elevation, installation of 2 no. rooflights cabrio on southern roof slope to facilitate the conversion of public house with staff accommodation into 1x commercial unit in A2 Use and 4 no. 2 bed (2B4P) flats. New access gates and associated refuse store.

Status: In Progress, Application Received.

The remaining 8 years of a Ei Group lease on the Lion at 27 Wick Road, Teddington is on the market by Fleurets (LA-822053). £125,000 - Leasehold.

Also, a new Free-of-Tie lease available for the Waldegrave Arms at 209 Waldegrave Road, Teddington is on the market by Fleurets (LA-821937). £30,000 Guide Price - To Let.

Fuller’s announces that it has entered into an agreement for the sale of its entire beer business to Asahi Europe Ltd, for an enterprise value of £250 million on a debt free, cash free basis.

The business being sold comprises the entirety of Fuller’s beer, cider and soft drinks brewing and production, wine wholesaling, as well as the distribution thereof, and also includes the Griffin Brewery, Cornish Orchards, Dark Star Brewing and Nectar Imports.

Read more on the Fuller's Blog

and... protzonbeer.co.uk - fuller-s-end-of-family-brewing-in-london

Moon on the Square in Feltham are having a Meet the Brewer Beer and Pizza evening with Sambrooks brewery. They will be here to meet customers, talk about the beer. There will be four Sambrooks beers on pump at the time. This will be from 7pm on Monday 11th February. The pub will also be starting a weekly quiz night on Sunday 3rd February at 8pm. Entry £1 per player which will go to CLIC Sargent, 1 st Prize will be a £25 bar tab.

The Crown (formally Carvosso's) at 210 Chiswick High Road, Chiswick. will have a soft opening from 22nd January and to be fully open on the 1st February 2019. The bar is expected to serve beers from London brewers. The restaurant will offer a seven-day a week, all-day menu, from morning breakfasts, onto casual or formal lunches and dinners. Pub launched by famed chef Henry Harris and will be the fourth from Harcourt Inns.

Right Move is advertising the freehold of O'Riordans Tavern at 3 High Street, Brentford, for sale. Offers are invited in excess of £1.5M.

Brian Watson confirmed that the Oddly Brewery at Unit 12, Platt’s Eyot, Lower Sunbury Road, Hampton, is moving to new premises in Tottenham and currently reassembling the plant there. The new brewery has a tap room and is just round the corner from Spurs’ football ground (and Redemption Brewery in on an adjacent trading estate).

The Anglers at 3 Broom Road, Teddington, closed on 2nd January 2019 for an extreme makeover. The pub is expected to be back in business by mid-April end of April 2019. The work will bring the kitchen and bar up to date, together with a new Function room and upstairs bar. Changes to the dining areas will give better views of the river Thames. The Gardens will also get some attention with improved bike parking, kids activities and al fresco dining options.

Planning applications granted: 18/2566/FUL and 17/4293/FUL. Additional kitchen extract, four condensers to serve cold stores and air conditioning. Construction of new plant room and relocation of existing bin enclosure, with associated works. Erection of two storey glazed link between main building and outbuilding to facilitate the relocation of customer toilets to outbuilding, new enclosure and enlargement of existing deck. Removal of timber shed. Opening of new pedestrian footpath into the pub garden from riverside and associated works.

See Fuller's web site page: anglers-pub-refurbishment

The Mitre at 20 St Mary's Grove, Richmond will be closed from 2nd January for rework to the bar for inclusion of 'craft' beer taps. Pub to reopen 10th January.

The Kings Head at 123 High Street, Teddington will be closed from Monday 14th January for 5 days. They will reopen the bar from 4pm on 19th January and restaurant from 6pm.

The White Cross, Riverside, Water Lane, Richmond will be closed 2nd January until the 10th of January for structural work.

The Park Hotel in Teddington recently bought by Young's & Co closed on the 25th November 2018 "for a transformational refurbishment". It is expected to reopen February 2019. Work currently in progress.

The Kew Brewery founded in 2015 by Dave Scott has passed control of the brewery to Jana Gray and partner Jonathan. In December 2018 the brewery has opened a bar/taproom at the Brewhouse, 477 Upper Richmond Road West, SW14 7PU. (The brewery currently has a tap takeover at the Dodo pub, Hanwell, on Jan 25th).