The Alchemist, Battersea
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The Alchemist is a former pub at 225 St John's Hill, Battersea, London, that was controversially demolished in May 2015 after over 100 years in business.[1]
It was originally called The Fishmongers' Arms,[1] and was built in 1854.[2]
Planning permission was granted in 2011 for six flats above the existing pub. The pub closed in 2013, when construction started in 2015 the existing structure was found unsafe and demolished with the intention to rebuild a facsimile which is what stands today. Wandsworth Council regarded the demolition as having taken place without planning permission to demolish, and called it a "very serious breach" of council rules, and "unjustified".[1] The council ordered developer Udhyam Amim to rebuild the pub and restore it to its appearance prior to demolition, albeit that this was the stated intention.[3]
The demolition was compared to that of the Carlton Tavern in Kilburn, north London, which was demolished in April the same year.[1] The Carlton Tavern was subsequently rebuilt and re-opened following a community campaign and planning appeals.[4]
In July 2018 the building was restored and the commercial ground floor provides community nursery facilities.[5] In October that year its owners applied for planning permission to make the building into a shop, office or food establishment, but planners rejected the application, ruling that the change of use would "result in the loss of a public house of historic and community value".[6] This rejection was later appealed and the building's classification was changed to D2, "assembly and leisure".[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Watts, Matt (9 July 2015). "Developer 'must rebuild demolished Alchemist pub' in Battersea". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
- ^ "St John's Hill Area" (PDF). English Heritage. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
- ^ "Developer ordered to rebuild Battersea pub submits new housing plan". 24 June 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
- ^ Tapper, James (21 March 2021). "Rising from the rubble: London pub rebuilt brick by brick after illegal bulldozing". The Observer. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ "Demolished Battersea Pub Restored". Archived from the original on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
- ^ Mehta, Amar (17 December 2018). "Wandsworth Council continue to support local pubs". Wandsworth Times. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- ^ "Rebuilt historical pub to change use". Retrieved 3 December 2021.
External links
[edit]- "Alchemist, Clapham Junction, SW11". flickr.com. 20 May 2008. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
- "Can demolished pubs come back from the dead?". BBC News. 24 July 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
- 1854 establishments in England
- 2013 disestablishments in England
- 2015 in London
- Battersea
- Buildings and structures destroyed in 2015
- Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Wandsworth
- Commercial buildings completed in 1854
- Demolished buildings and structures in London
- Former pubs in London
- Pubs in the London Borough of Wandsworth