The Orchard - a new bar for Brockley

Back in the summer, we met a guy called Ed at the Brockley Central music night at the Ladywell Tavern. He revealed that he was working on plans to open a bar in Brockley, somewhere near the station.

A decent bar in Brockley Cross, offering an alternative to the Brockley Barge and the mysterious Gulens, has been something Brockley Central has dreamed of, since the site began. However, we'd heard similar things from people before that had never materialised, so we refused to allow ourselves to get too excited. Ed was a great bloke and seemed to know what he was doing, but we didn't think much more about it until we got an email from him a couple of months ago.

He revealed that he'd made progress and was close to signing a lease, but asked us not to say anything more about it, because he didn't want to disappoint people if it all fell through. Hence this frustratingly oblique post.

Today, we're delighted to be able to bring you this message from Ed and his partner Emily. Enjoy:

We have lived in Brockley Cross for a few years now and have always wanted a place we could enjoy a good pint or decent glass of wine without having to travel all the way to Greenwich or Blackheath- we wanted somewhere we could walk to. It was because of our frustration at not having somewhere like this to hang out that we decided to do it ourselves.

We are really excited to be opening a Bar and Kitchen where Aquarium briefly existed on Harefield Road. As local residents we know how important it is to reflect the local area and are really proud to be part of the Brockley business community which already houses some fantastic places to eat, get a coffee and shop.

We look forward to serving up some great wines, cocktails, and beers amongst much more, in a relaxed environment that is comfortable, stylish and homely.

We are refurbishing the property and are looking to open at the end of November/beginning of December depending on how quickly we can turn everything around.

We have decided to name the bar The Orchard. If you look around you can still see some old trees left over from the orchards that were grown here in Brockley where the property now is today.
We are relatively new to this but firmly believe we have an understanding of what Brockley wants, and needs, and really hope we can fit in alongside the existing businesses and new ventures that are also popping up around us.
You'll probably see us working on the property over the coming weeks and you'll be the first to know when we have an open date. We look forward to seeing you all there in time for some Christmas cheer!
Edmund and Emily