Squatters in the Hopsmiths

BraveSirRobin

Hi, Just thought i'd say hello and give you all a heads-up as to whats going on at the Hopsmiths. We have been given the the green light on the premises license and have finally managed to get the keys to the premises after a long battle witht the squatters and the landlord...its taken us over 6 months to finally get to this stage, theres been so many obsticles to have overcome, believe me its not been easy..
We will be starting works over the next couple of weeks, we intend to replicate the cosy, warm, welcoming vibes we have at our only other pub, the Rose & Crown in Kentish Town. There will be up to 30 rotating taps to fit everyones tastes and a great food offering that will add to the already established culinary delights Stroud Green and Crouch Hill is known for.
Thanks for being patient and thanks for the all the positive feedback, we really want to make this work and will be counting on your support.
I will keep you updated with the works, launch date and all our social media channels that we will be posting on once they are up and running. The name of the new pub: Brave Sir Robin
Cheers
Ben, Theo and Chris

-noodles-

great news!

HolbornFox

Brilliant, can't wait!

IMO the reason that the hopsmiths failed was it being the exact opposite of cosy and welcoming (plastic school chairs?)

Arkady

Seconded. Great beer range is a key draw, but it needs to be comfortable too. It was too hard and echoey in it's last incarnation.

jlong

Absolutely fantastic news! Very much looking forward to making it my local!

krappyrubsnif

Very good news indeed. In several of its incarnations this was our favourite watering hole locally, what eventually spoiled it was the level of noise after one revamp too far. I like pubs, people, music, background noise, but I do like to have a conversation too.

gardener-joe

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romeoyjulieta

I have an answer:

Squatters are actively and deliberately obstructing someone else from using something they legally own or have rights to (a pub, for example) whereas those unfortunate enough to have to "sleep rough" are not. It's a pretty clear distinction.

That the contrasting attitudes you mention are visible among a significant group of commentators suggests this is a widely-held view.

Papa

That seems a fair distinction. Maybe I'm wrong but a lot of the squatters I've known over the years were doing it as a choice.

Although I don't have much problem with people squatting large corporate buildings or those left empty for many years, when it is obstructing someone's small business then I have little sympathy.

And also I have no sympathy at all if it is someone's house - although have the rules changed that means that doesn't happen so much now?

At the end of the day, I think we just want the pub back open and if the squatters are getting in the way and delaying it then we want them out.

To be honest, if it had been before we knew the Hopsmiths was finally getting taken over I'd have been happy for them to be there, but once there was someone ready to take it over they should have done the decent thing and cleared out with no messing about.

The levels of homelessness in London do worry me at the moment and you are right about whether we should question our perception.

Gardener Joe do you know if there has been a corresponding rise in squatting - is there a correlation?

rikki

despite my earlier comments i DO have sympathy where a small business is trying to take over an empty building - and the sort of socially conscious squatters i know do actually leave reasonably in those circumstances - they also tend to negotiate with landlords to work out an appropriate date. but where buildings lay empty for months and years, and where very often this is on purpose because our crazy asset-based economy actually gives a profit to those owners, then i think the building is fair game. the scummiest thing is when owners actually smash facilities in a building JUST to dissuade squatters, and then leave the building empty. as homelessness is currently rising exponentially, this is just plain evil.

meanwhile, good luck with the pub venture - i'll def give a visit if it's not too up itself.

fwiw

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