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Save The Swan

The Swan

Local pub under threat

The Swan is facing closure and conversion to a synagogue - with no consultation or prior notice to the landlady or customers. The owners are reported to have exchanged contracts with members of a group within the local Jewish community, who aim to turn one of the few remaining non-religious community resources in the area into a synagogue, ending a history of over 250 years as a public house.

 

Help us save our local

The Stamford Hill area doesn't have many pubs, and The Swan is a vital part of the community for many - it's where they meet, where they celebrate births, marriages, and deaths, or just relax and play pool. Everyone is welcome, and amongst the regular clients are members of all the different communities - white, black, jewish, straight, gay, born Londoners and new arrivals in the area. As well as serving all those individuals, it's also home to the Hackney Rugby Club. In short, it's a proper London pub, serving the people on its doorstep - and that's more important than just about anything else.

All that is at risk, thanks to the planned buyout, and the proposal - while keeping the building largely intact - to turn it into a synagogue and meeting rooms for one of the Jewish communities in the area. There's been no consultation with those who use The Swan, nor with those who run it. Understandably, people feel angry and ignored - as was evident at a packed meeting in The Swan on Sunday 31st August, where many people expressed their concerns to a representative of the buyers' solicitors.

A core group of people has formed a committee to investigate the various ways in which the proposal can be halted - stopping the sale, preventing a change of use of the building, and so on. There'll be lots to do, and lots of ways in which everyone will be able to help, from gathering signatures on petitions to writing letters to the council, distributing leaflets, designing banners and lots more. If you think you have any useful skills that can help, please do get in touch, via the email address campaign @ savetheswan.com

Welcome As you can see, this site is pretty new, and growing all the time. Check out the new Latest news page for all the latest updates, and if you'd like to be kept up to date by email, click the Mailing list link at the top of the page.

A piece of local history It's no surprise that a pub as old as The Swan has played a large part in the community over so many years. On this page, you can read about its part in the history of one of the local churches, St Thomas The Apostle.

What's happening? A committee has been formed, and is meeting regularly, working out plans for campaigning, publicity and events to help save The Swan. There are regular public meetings too - keep an eye on the right hand side of this page for updates.

Punch Taverns The Swan was owned by Punch Taverns, a company with over 8,000 pubs around the UK. The web site is full of the usual stuff intended to impress investors, but there's also an 'Ask Giles' page, where you can contact the Chief Executive. If you'd like to ask him why he thought it was a good idea to sell off your local, click here.

An important plea One key point made at the first meeting on 31st August , by several people, was that Stamford Hill is an area where everyone has lived side by side, and there is very little friction between communities. No one wants the campaign to save The Swan to be seen as an attack on the Jewish community - it isn't. We simply want to keep our pub. We believe that it must be possible to find other locations for a synagogue, without having to close down a resource that's used by so many different people. But by presenting the customers and staff of The Swan with a done deal, Punch Taverns and the buyers run the risk of damaging community relations in the area.
This website created and maintained by Nigel Whitfield, PO Box 7248, London E5 8UL.