SE23 Forum

St David Coffee House had a church???
I guess that's why they added the "St".

rshdunlop, this is the internet. If we all stopped posting rumour , gossip and rubbish it would stop

No need to worry everyone! I infiltrated the KICC place in Crystal Palace and whilst I was there I prayed to god that the Capitol becomes a cinema not a pentecostal church. Ha ha that'll show em! That's the good news. The bad news is that I also prayed for an Iceland where M&co is. Sorry. I went a bit mad with the power.

Ahhhh, that's better!

The voice of reason from rshdunlop followed by nearly 12 hours of calm.

Is this a fact from a confirmed source or hearsay?

The whole of this thread is hearsay...

The exact source of the rumour is here, post number 194

http://www.virtualnorwood.com/forum/topi...ma/page-13

So a Bromley councillor is the alleged source of the rumour. I can only locate the Cllr's official email which I'm guessing won't get picked up until in the week, so I am going to mail him later and try and find out what he does/ doesn't know.
I can't find him on twitter, but have put a few feelers out - I suspect he isn't on there which might have been quicker.

If you look further down the thread on Virtual Norwood, someone else has an email from the same councillor saying he heard the rumour that the Capitol was going to be a cinema again. Doesn't sound like he really knows any more than anyone else.

I spoke to cllr Williams when I saw the messages. I would not interpret his answer as anything as certainty, but a rumour. He may want or not to address others misquoting him which is his battle, but from Fh perespective what he is quoted is not based on facts. So to be clear so far I do not have any reliable information about the future of Capitol. When I have I will share it.

Thanks Maja.
Over the weekend, I saw a further mail that stated the same.
Let's look forward to some actual news.

I emailed Wetherspoons after the initial rumour was posted and got an answer (see below) a couple of weeks ago while I was on holiday . Afraid they are closing and nothing as yet on what will replace. Maybe time to start a campaign?

George

07 July 2014

Dear Mr Crozier

Thank you for your web form dated 28th June and for contacting us regarding our pub in Forest Hill.

I can confirm a decision has been made to shut the Capitol pub in Forest Hill, I apologise for any disappointment caused.

Closing and selling a pub is a difficult decision and not one that is made without considerable thought and debate. We take into account current and potential future trading levels, facilities within the locality (other Wetherspoon pubs and others) and the ongoing rent and maintenance costs.

I am afraid I have no further information regarding who it will be sold to.

Thank you for contacting JD Wetherspoon.

Yours sincerely

What and who would we be campaigning for/to George? Unfortunately we don't get to choose which businesses move into and out of our area. I think we are just best to wait and see what happens. I will only be sorry to see Wetherspoons go if the Capitol sits empty for years again - would rather have any business than none.

I think it's great that they replied to a web form enquiry but a shame to hear confirmation of this news.

'thought and debate' - with the local community??
'facilities within the locality (other Wetherspoon pubs and others)' - they have closed their other pub down the road in Kirkdale.

However, my conversation with bar staff during the week indicated that the lease had been sold and this was the reason for the pub closing - it was a pretty confident statement of fact - rather than a considered decision by Wetherspoons.

My view is that Wetherspoons in the Capitol is fantastic and it will be a very sad loss to Forest Hill to see it go. I never tire of showing the place off to new visitors who are invariably impressed. Good value beer and food at all times of day and night. The atmosphere is a matter of subjective opinion - I think it's fantastic. A giant eating and drinking hall, pleasantly reminiscent of some massive dining rooms I remember in China - albeit a few decades ago. I chatted a couple of times with Bean about running a single screen cinema inside the existing pub (cinema seating in the balcony with a screen suspended above the bar) but I think there were H&S issues preventing use of the balcony for public use.

If it should become a cinema, that would be just - and wonderful - but the pub era will be missed by me at least.

If it should become something else (flats or, god forbid, a church), then I will be forever saddened at the loss of a beautiful 'public space'.

Does anyone know of a Date when it will close
would like to arrange a Wake or two in its final week.

They say they're selling it rather than just closing it which means it may take a while before it actually closes. As I understand it, Wetherspoons only has a leasehold interest so they'll have to find someone to sell it to and once that's done, they'll have to get the freeholder's consent to sell the lease to that particular purchaser. The freeholde in turn may need to get their mortgagee's consent (if the building is subject to a mortgage). the freeholder (and the mortgagee) will need to be satisfied that the purchaser has the financial strength to pay the rent etc etc and then the lawyers will get involved - these things all take time so unless all of that is already in progress, it could be a while yet before they close their doors.

thanks amfm.

The staff seem to have opened up after a period of apparently being told to keep shtum.

I asked a few days ago and was told that it would be at least 3 months before they closed.

I shall miss the place for all sorts of reasons - I find some folk stupid snobs about Wspoons. And Wspoons did the community a real favour in taking over the old cinema/bingo hall.

Even though I don't drink there I dread it closing and being left as a big empty building right on our hughstreet.

It'll look downright depressing.
However I also live in fear of it being taken over and used as a church.
Such a shame this didn't happen when Picture house were looking to open in the vicinity.Then maybe we could have had the new cinema rather than East Dulwich.

There was an Odeon cinema, in Forest Hill, until the late 1960's early 1970's, when it closed and was eventually turned into a bingo hall.

That was the current Capitol building!