Abandoned Battersea pub to reopen after months of uncertainty

By Charlotte Lillywhite, Local Democracy Reporter

A Victorian pub in will finally reopen this month, after years of lying empty with uncertainty plaguing its future.

The Queens Arms, in Battersea, had been abandoned since the Covid-19 pandemic before it was taken over by new landlord Bohem Brewery earlier this year.

The independent brewery is turning the pub, which was built in 1865, into a Czech-style taproom with traditional Bohemian lagers and snacks. The company said it plans to reopen the venue to customers in late May, once it has completed its makeover.

It comes after a rocky few years for the venue, which originally shut in 2016 before briefly reopening in 2017. Planning permission was granted in 2018 to redevelop the building’s upper floors to create five new homes, while its ground floor and basement reopened as a pub in 2020.

This only lasted for a few months, before the pub closed again and went on the market. Bohem Brewery signed a lease to take over the venue in February this year.

The Queens Arms will be Bohem Brewery’s third taproom, as it already runs Bohem Taproom in Bowes Park and Nicholas Nickelby in Finsbury Park. The company brews its traditional Czech lagers at a warehouse in Tottenham, which opened in 2018.

The Bohemian lagers at The Queens Arms will be served using traditional Czech pouring techniques, with foam to enhance the taste of the beer.

Pictured top: The Queens Arms, Battersea (Picture: Charlotte Lillywhite/LDRS)