The Alchemist, Battersea
.jpg)
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] and rebuilt in 2018.
The pub was originally called The Fishmongers' Arms,[1] and was built in 1854.[2]
The pub closed in 2013, and was demolished in 2015 by a developer hoping to extend the building and build a block of flats.[1] Wandsworth Council regarded the demolition having taken place without planning permission, 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, but a year later this had not been carried out and the developer was seeking retrospective approval to demolish the building and replace it with six apartments, along with retail and commercial space.[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.[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 e 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 demolished 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