New Black Cap pub owner: Decision to close venue was made ‘long ago’

The new owner of an iconic gay pub in London which was closed unexpectedly last week has has the decision to close its doors was made “long ago”.

The Black Cap pub closed its doors last week after a battle over a proposed redevelopment which lasted several months.

The pub, based in London’s Camden area was built in 1889, and is one of London’s oldest continually operating LGBT venues, after it became popular with gay men in the 1960s.

Despite having successfully applied to be recognised as an asset of community value just last Wednesday, the historic cabaret venue’s owners, Faucet Inn, closed its doors on April 12.

The pub’s new owner, Paul McGill, the owner of Camden Securities, agreed the terms of the pub in December, reports the Ham & High.

McGill said the decision to close the Black Cap was made “long ago” and was out of his hands.

He said: “The decision to close the pub was made long ago and not by us. We weren’t given the option to continue running the venue as it was, so we had to find a new tenant. We’ve not gone with the highest bidder but with someone we feel will be sensitive to the area.

“It’s a site of historical value, we understand that. We feel we are saving it as a venue, not destroying it.”

Mr McGill added that the new details of the pub’s fate would be given “shortly”, saying it will turn into a “restaurant/cafe/bar-type establishment”.

Around 200 members of the protest group “#WeAreTheBlackCap” gathered last Saturday after the sudden closure of the historic venue. It is closely linked with the popular drag night The Meth Lab.

• Dec 01 2023

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