Nunhead · Southwark
The Ivy House
England's first co-operatively owned pub, saved by its own regulars
- Address40 Stuart Road, Nunhead, London, SE15 3BE
- Websiteivyhousenunhead.com
- OwnershipIndependent pub
About The Ivy House
A Grade II-listed 1930s pub in Nunhead that became England’s first community/co-operatively owned pub in 2013 after locals crowdfunded to save it from redevelopment.
The Ivy House is a Grade II-listed, largely unaltered 1930s pub that faced demolition for flats in 2012 before a determined group of locals raised the funds to buy the freehold and run it as a co-operative — making it, in 2013, the first pub in England to become community-owned under the Localism Act's Assets of Community Value provisions. It's owned and governed by its members rather than by any pub company, with volunteers and an elected committee overseeing everything from the beer range to the packed calendar of folk, jazz and open-mic nights that make it a genuine cultural venue as well as a local. The story became a template cited by community pub campaigns across the country.
On tap
Cask ale and real cider, community-chosen range
Food
Simple bar snacks; occasional pop-up kitchens
More pubs in Nunhead
- The Old Nun's HeadA mock-Tudor landmark presiding over Nunhead Green