Historic Ye Olde Swiss Cottage pub calls time

3 hours ago 1

BBC A weathered wooden pub sign for "Ye Olde Swiss Cottage" featuring an illustration of a Swiss guard. In the background, the dark chalet-style building with gold lettering spelling out "Ye Olde Swiss Cottage".

An historic north-west London pub which a Tube station and the surrounding area was named after has called time after nearly two centuries in business.

Campaigners are hoping Ye Olde Swiss Cottage can be saved after its operator, Samuel Smith's Brewery, closed the pub on Saturday.

The brewery did not respond to BBC London's questions over the fate of the uniquely designed pub.

Joanne Scott, from the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), said its closure was a "real loss for the local community and also for London".

Swiss Cottage Tube station and the local area both took their name from the pub which has stood on the site since the 1830s.

It is not known why it was designed in the style of a Swiss chalet but has become a local landmark.

Getty Images A sepia-toned historic photo of Ye Olde Swiss Cottage pub, with a horse-drawn omnibus in the foreground and Victorian-era pedestrians nearby. The chalet-style building features signage for dining and tea, capturing a lively late 19th or early 20th-century street scene.

The pub building is not listed or an asset of community value which could be barriers for any attempts to save it.

Ms Scott said: "There has a pub on site for 200 years and there isn’t many pubs in this area, so it is important to keep it as pub."

The upper facade of Ye Olde Swiss Cottage pub, show its dark chalet-style architecture with wooden balconies, decorative railings, and window shutters. A row of colorful flowers adorns the balcony, while modern red-brick buildings rise in the background under an overcast sky.

On the last day it was open, locals bemoaned the pub's closure.

One patron told BBC London: "You choose a pub with a different atmosphere - a lot of them are becoming like clones now."

Another man said: "It's one of those institutions you’ve always seen when you come into London."

A dimly lit wooden bar inside Ye Olde Swiss Cottage pub, featuring a row of spirits in upside-down dispensers above beer taps. Glasses are stacked on a brass rack, and a vintage-style lamp is seen.

More pubs closed in the capital in the first six months of 2024 than anywhere else in England, according to the London Assembly pub audit.

"Pubs are at the heart of every town and city in this country," said Thomas J. Vosper, an author and pub expert.

"They are often the hub for the community," he added.

"They're the place where you can go and celebrate a birthday party. You can go and cheer on your football team. Or perhaps you can have a pint and commiserate, or have a tough conversation with a friend when you need it."

It remains unclear what will happen to the Ye Olde Swiss Cottage site going forward.