Former Woolwich pub still on sale for £1.5 million
The pub unit formerly homes to the Woolwich Equitable is still in the market with an an asking price of £1.5 million.
Antic previously ran a pub on General Gordon Square which closed due to rent arrears during the time covid was at its height.
Since closure the pub has remained shuttered and since put on the market – with no takers yet seen.
It’s not the only building in town linked to Antic and a potential pub. Further west at the end of Powis Street sits another site where a number of proposals have been and gone.
As this image taken last week shows, little evidence of renovation is seen.
Plans were first approved ten years ago and covered on this site as far back as 2016.
Quiet
Footfall down this end of town is far lower than at General Gordon Square so unless rent is cheap, it’s hard to see a pub doing too well right now.
The former co-op department store saw upper floors converted to residential usage while the former Woolwich co-operative building is now a Travelodge, so while not as dead as back in the 1990s and 2000s it’s not exactly teeming with life.
A developer evicting shopkeepers for a stalled development some years ago certainly hasn’t helped.
What the future holds for both Antic’s former and proposed pub sites remains to be seen. For all the one-off “late night” events which shut up shop by 8pm, these sites and similar in town are what could make or break the town’s appeal as an evening destination.
I bumped into the owner of the much-missed Zaibatsu and he’s told me it’s virtually impossible to find a rental unit in the borough without being gouged on rent, particularly for a full restaurant setup. It seems many landlords would rather have an empty unit than offer a lower rent (Copper & Ink in Blackheath was one such, with a rent described as ‘worse than chilli in the eyes’), to say nothing of the ones awaiting development.
Hackney on the other hand, goes to great lengths to get a full row of shops, even keeping the business rates to a fraction of the neighbouring boroughs. In return, you’re rewarded with an absolute blast of high streets – walk up from Sandringham Road to the top of Mare Street and you pass by a heady mix of antique clothing places (kimonos from the 1930s next to vintage Levis), all manner of food places (two alone are dedicated to seitan chicken) and everything from vets and pet shops to coffee bars and bakeries. Greenwich could learn quite a lot from them.
Prior to Covid 19, Antic had successfully brought back to life the former Catford Constitutional Club in Catford Broadway.
Post Covid they opened a separate pub under the same name at the former Argos shop nearby in Rushey Green.
The original building has, over the past couple of years, been undergoing repairs and renovations with an anticipated completion set for later in 2024.
It will be interesting to see whether Antic are tempted back there – the financial viability of running two outlets in such close proximity would seem a bit of a stretch.
I guess it will be a case of watch this space if Antic are tempted back. The old Catford Constitutional Club was in desperate indeed of refurbishment. I hope Antic do return when refurbishments completed.
Lewisham Town Centre has changed so much over the last few years and the Lewisham skyline has changed beyond all recognition with towers now overlooking the Town Centre.
I hope a new buyer can be found for the former pub. If it is not viable to run it has just a pub possibly run It has a pub/restaurant. With all the new homes in and around the Woolwich Town Centre a new business should get plenty of footfall and close to transport links and new leisure centre currently under construction.