Good news for pub lovers – one of Newham’s oldest may be making a comeback, says Phil Mellows

The Brittania pub in Plaistow Grove — Credit – Phil Mellows

There’s no doubt the pub trade is having a tough time of it, squeezed between rising costs and customers who are having to be more careful about how they spend their money. Reports of the imminent death of the boozer may be exaggerated, though.

Among all the closures there are always signs of life, none more surprising than the news that the Britannia on Plaistow Grove is to reopen.

Once owned by West Ham United Legend Frank Lampard Senior, who still runs the Nightingale in Wanstead, it attracted Hammers stars in the 1980s, and in 2008 it became a star itself, appearing in Cass, a gritty film about surviving racism in East London in the 1970s.

It closed suddenly in 2019, blaming structural problems, and you’d be forgiven for thinking that would be the end of it. But, following a tip-off from blogger London Pub Explorer, I can confirm that work is well under way to restore this corner pub, which originally opened in 1851, and it’s beginning to look quite smart.

Two floors have been added above which, according to planning permission granted by Newham Council in 2021, will house three flats. The ground floor will once again operate as a pub.

This sort of mixed solution has become quite common where there’s doubt that a pub alone will attract enough trade to make it commercially viable. It’s encouraging that the developer sees potential in keeping a pub on the site that will serve the wider community.

It’s hoped that the Britannia will be back by Christmas, and it’ll be interesting to see what kind of place it’s going to be. Locals are worried it might be too up-market, but if the owners have been watching the trends they’ll know there’s a move away from food-led pubs, which are especially expensive to run, and a fresh emphasis on drinks – whether that means a good range of beers, or cocktails, or both.

More important than what’s sold across the bar, though, is whether the new Britannia will provide a safe, welcoming, inclusive space where people can get together and enjoy themselves. That’s what people still want, and that’s what will secure the future of pubs.

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