Lewisham's only gay bar closes
Lewisham's only gay bar, Two8Six, has closed.
The News Shopper reports:
Two8Six has been closed after the building's new owner sent in bailiffs and changed the locks... Publican Steve Thompson said problems started when Isle of Man-based company Mendoza and managers Golfrate, took over ownership in June from Admiral Taverns.
He claims they told him to evict his live in staff from the residential floors above the pub so that they could be used as private flats, while demanding outstanding rent.
After a series of negotiations, bailiffs were sent in on October 12, changing the locks and boarding up the building.
It's another setback for the borough's nightlife, following the recent closure of The Walpole in New Cross and the threatened redevelopment of the Catford Bridge Tavern and a loss for Lewisham's town centre, which is trying to encourage more nightlife.
27 comments:
Is Lewisham really trying to encourage nightlife? I thought the policy was the opposite and ,in this, they have been successful.
Lewisham is a dead zone at night.
You forgot rileys! Where now for a night of pool, lager and a curry?
Lewisham nightlife? Its a joke.
The cabaret nights there were hilarious.
Lewisham is a scary dark void at night, now even more of a night time ghost town.
South East London nightlife is generally appalling pretty much everywhere.
There's more life in the average town with a 10k population in most of the country.
That's because SE London NIMBYs shout out the idea of anything interesting coming in
Lewisham is a really crappy town centre with no nightlife or decent places to eat.
Only go there for the pound shops. Very sad place, it's almost like the council has given up..
@ Ben H - It suits a Labour Council like Lewishams to have a populace dependent on pound shops for their existence. The more poor people they can attract to the area the more votes they should get at the next election, given they are 'the voice of the impoverished'.
@Anon1608 - examples please?
Fatty
That is very cynical and I doubt the council are that organised! Lewisham is the child of neglect and bad planning.
I don't think "poor people" are actively attracted to an area by the number of pound shops. More that if an area has a high proportion of poor people it will struggle to support higher quality services and as a result rents will fall and other services that poor people can afford to use will open instead.
The major problem with central Lewisham is that bloody terrible tower block, the multi=storey carpark, and the shopping center. Together they all look shit, and make the area less desirable.
Pete, you obviously didn't live in Lewisham before the shopping centre existed. When there was just the road with the market a few shops behind it with Army & Navy across the road. The multi-storey car park serves a useful purpose, only shame is that we lost the two cinemas and the sports and social facilities in the Riverdale Centre.
Is there any sort of strategic plan that outlines Lewishams strategy with respect to the night time economy.
I am sure the policy is to discourage socialising in central Lewisham.
There seem to be few pubs, no clubs, cinemas or theatres. Restaurants? One or two on Lee High Rd and little else.
A night out in Catford is a bit better, but not much.
What's the problem with pound shops? Would people rather pay more than a pound for the same tupperware boxes, utensils, screwdrivers etc?
Talk about conspicuous consumption!!
There's nothing wrong with pound shops - although many of the products they sell are actually available cheaper elsewhere.
A large number of pound shops and charity shops is a good sign that an area is not exactly affluent though.
I believe that Landsec, the owners of Lewisham Shopping Centre are already working on getting approval for converting some existing redundant space to attract a cinema operator into the development and also to create a food court offering more 'quality' operators. The Council is in favour as we are the only borough in London without a cinema (not that that matters) and also they are keen to make Lewisham a night-time destination (yeah right). There was a lengthy article in the EG about this a few months ago.
Poundshops sometimes sell items in smaller sizes/quantities than are available elsewhere. They appear cheaper, but aren't.
Has Lewisham town centre ever been nice?
Maybe the people deserve what they have.
You have all those people moving into flats opposite Lewisham station and not many places for them to go in the evening.
So all those Canary Wharf and City salaries will be spent outside the borough. The nearest place being Greenwich or Blackheath.
I guess Lewisham does have one asset: it is easy to pass through or leave by road rail or DLR.
It is a dormitory.
Was this the plan?
Blackheath Village is in Lewisham
Decent places to eat and drink usually start appearing as demand for them increases. Hopefully, some of the new arrivals in Lewisham will kick-start that demand.
Blackheath is in Lewisham. So it is, the boundary seems to go past the rail station.
http://www.openstreetmap.org/
So maybe that is the plan:
Blackheath is the area of the Lewisham borough that has the nice pubs and restaurants.
Lewisham is for pound shops and supermarkets.
Deptford is the artistic quarter (don't laugh!)
Catford is the nerve centre and crucible of borough politics.
Brockley is the spawning ground for the baby buggied middling sort.
Point of order, the Blackheath pubs are rubish to average. O'neils at one end to dull chino clad bars where rugby shirt collars are firmly up to hide the expanse of pink neck.
Which is the one that the locals avoid because it is frequented by rude Lewisham types?
Can we talk some more about class?
We live in a world where having a baby and being average is controversial...
Regarding the gay bar, I was sad to hear it had closed. When there was a fire in Campshill Road this year, and folks had to be evacuated in the middle of the night, it was this bar that provided them with a safe haven & hot drinks while they waited to go home. Very civic minded. And it was a fun place for gays & straights alike, and welcomed all elements of Lewisham society there. Sad loss.
Lewisham council don’t seem to care
what the highs street looks like (even though the high street should be the
centre stage of each the borough), and yet from the clock tower to lady well
baths looks old dingy and generally.... terrible!
Lewisham has several empty buildings
sitting around in its borough that could be put to better use, but investors won’t
touch them because Lewisham give them drama when it comes to planning
permission etc. Look at the playtower for instance in ladywell sitting there
looking horrid.
But the MAJOR problem is the fact that Lewisham
council has a Horrific Planning department with an even more bureaucratic
conservation/heritage team who love the power they wield (when they are not on
annual leave and actually decide to come into work that is, I could say more
about them but I wont on here Lol!) over such buildings and unfortunately steer
many of the decisions the planning
department make concerning these buildings.
Lewisham only want to build housing.
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