‘A glorious day’: 141-year-old pub saved after 14-year community battle

A 141-year-old pub which survived two world wars and a pandemic has been saved from demolition after a 14-year-long community battle.

The Baring Hall Hotel in Barring Road, Grove Park closed in 2009 after a fire, before facing 13 years of demolition plans and neglect.

This month, after years of community campaigning to stop the building from being demolished, pub operator Garry Mallen has bought the building and plans to keep the pub and beer garden intact.

Director of Conservation at The Baring Trust, Stephen Kenny, 56, from Grove Park and Lewisham councillor Liam Curran, 61 from Perry Hill, started up a trust and ran a community campaign to save the pub.

They said: “The pub has survived two world wars, the Wall Street Crash of 1929, two pandemics, two fires and 14 years of various owners trying to knock it down or develop it for houses.

“And now, after years of campaigning, it has an owner that wants to run a pub. This is truly a glorious day.

“We are absolutely delighted that a successful pub operator, Garry Mallen, has seen the potential of the pub and decided to take it on.

“To be honest, after all this time we wondered whether this day would ever come, but now it has finally arrived it is a wonderful feeling, and we want to pay tribute to all those in the local community who kept the faith for the past 14 years and made it happen, as well as the support from many people and national organizations.”

After the fire, new owners of the pub made an application to demolish the building in 2010 and build a block of flats.

In 2011, Stephen Kenny and Cllr Curran set up The Baring Trust to protect the pub against demolition.

Between 2009 and 2023, community campaign the Grove Park Community Group managed to get a High Court judicial review and the pub was listed as a Grade-II building and an Asset of Community Value, preventing its demolition.

The landmark Baring Hall Hotel is the only public house in Grove Park town centre and has been included in local planning rules to play a key part in the regeneration of the town centre.

The new owner, Mr Mallen said: “It’s clear that the Baring Hall Hotel has always had enormous potential as a pub.

“It is going to be quite a challenge getting the building up and running and we will have to do it in phases as it’s a large project, but I am looking forward to the day that we can welcome our first customers through the doors.”

Pictured top: From left, Stephen Kenny and Lewisham councillor Liam Curran (Picture: The Baring Trust)