Plans for housing at Victoria pub site in Charlton
Plans have been submitted to restore the Victoria pub and attach housing the the rear. This revised plan follows earlier proposals to demolish the handsome building on Woolwich Road.
The developers do not seem keen on restoration judging by comments in planning documents. In their defence, it seems Greenwich planners overlooked the building’s merit initially and only spotted it was worth fighting for after plans were submitted.
People locally then called for retention. I covered it here. It’s lucky they did or it would now be rubble instead of seeing refurbishment. The plan is to convert to a take away though as long as the wonderful exterior is retained it’s worth it. And when 7,500+ homes are built in the area there’s great scope for a new pub.
It’s in pretty awful condition though. Let’s hope it doesn’t fall down before this plan gets underway.
APRIL 2019 UPDATE: No work has started in the two and a half years since the original post.
Running a site alone takes time and a fair bit of money. Adverts are far from enough to cover it and my living costs as a private renter.
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Glad that there are plans to retain this building, Driving past on a daily basis its in a very sad state but could be lovely if saved and restored.
Whilst working for Costains on the Thames Barrier ( in the offices) the Vic (as we called it then) was the pub that was used by the staff. We had most of our “dos” in there. . The atmosphere was great, the company good as was the staff. The only trouble in the bar was the floor which was uneven and one felt as if they were tipsy. Great memories of good times were had in here !!!!
Sorry a take away? Why not a pub??!!! I’ll be there..
When the second last owner sold the pub,He did not hang around to see the New proprietor,Tear his hair out at what his surveyor must have passed to buy.I think if he had wanted a mortgage on this wee pub.It would not have happened.Still he lost nie on £ 180,000,He had planned to put another Floor on the building and extend the rear,Originally it was to be a chinese take away with living accomodation small flatsabove and behind. This building had a listing,a Heritage grade 2, You will notice when they built the new dual carriage way in the early 90’s The council didnt compulsary buy it, and if you look at the road lay out`as it passes via the roundabout past Eastnor St. it accomodates the pub rather than running through half of the old Pub. I would have the thought that building and constructiobn costs to float a cementn raft under the property or any thing near it will need tons of foundation,sunk under a huge deposit of peat and clay.At the time after his purchase he found out he would need about the same amount roughly another £200,000.in the mid 90’s, just to keep it standing up. I know what i would have done to his C.S. I have fond memories of the old pub , as will Mr Brian Bath,many gigs both of us performed in the leaning pub of Charlton. New people when they walked i,n if they had had a drink . I dont know if Brian, or any other performers ,took the oportunity,I know i did,sing the old Delta blues song Rollin and Tumblin, written or accredited to Hambone Willie Newborn,he was the first to cut it on the old lqaquer,so you got the credit,.it was around as a speakeasy song,from around the turn of the century,which is when the pub was built nie 1905 The same year qas The routes of the Addicks were born, and playing under theirn first Team name The East Street Boys,,as it was called before Eastnor St.It was wiped off the map, The Lufthwaffe decimated it and around 30 or 40 lost their lives in the terraced houses,built for lightermen and river workers and dockers.All Commercial buildings now.Charlton used it to keep, their goal posts and kits and changed there for matches when they played on their first pitch,Siemmans Fields,which is where the old school stands and just passed towards Woolwich,they moved around a year later to Pound Park where the junior school is. Then they used the Oak but the Guvnor would not house the goal posts they had to be walked from the Vic.,so there Guv was a true Addick,ashe wasnt put out by them using the Oak, it has a genuine history sadly i had a full witness account of that dereadful night.An old boy Tom who was WRP, on duty that night, he was in the pub when it was hit ,2 died at the rear of the pub,. mostly all the patrons, were in the celler.it was the safest place, better than the garden shelters they had so there were a lot of resident hopefully imn the boozerf. Tom said it was busy. i think between 30, 35, died near their houses so in passing and you hear an old Blues man playin and singin that old delta dirge, spare a thought for an old Boozer that was the heart and soul of a community.Hard to see or find an equivelant in the Greedy, Creedy Fundamentally God crazed lazy uncaring selfish residents of the planet our home which is being choked to death by the now generation who will not have time to educate the next lot.I wont be around,.If it gets to another 2 degrees higher on our pressure systems the tides and flow stream like the Gulf Stream which will bring around about a12 inch rise in tidal flows,Greenland just about to never have whitye ice covering everr again 10 years after depletion of North an sout Poles dirty ice does not reflecty the sun it is dirty like slush snow when it melts20 to 30 years migration of people having to move lack of food./See where this is gouing.its your real live disater movie you dont need to buy a ticket,youyr acting very badly in it.planet earth dead.2059 God or whoever rest the Vic. and all residebnts of the Blue planet.Sorry folke. Ally.xx I douby now if anyone will wqant to talk to the wannabe nostradamus. i mean about things you can do to help the local community which equals the planet thats whwere it begins or if its local history and my fav CAFC. call Ally on 07715656717,im not a raging John the Baptist im worse. good vibes and aall things healthy go out to you all. everyone.
please excuse, all typoes, bad spelling and grammer,really im worryin more about other shit now.
Great text above Alistair, so interesting to hear of the history of the place.
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