New Prezzo at The Green in Chingford (Old Bull and Crown Pub)

Bull and Crown - now Prezzo at The Green in Chingford
Bull and Crown - now Prezzo at The Green in Chingford
Bull and Crown – now Prezzo at The Green in Chingford

The old Bull and Crown in Chingford is being transformed into a new Prezzo restaurant. The new restaurant is set to open on 12th December, ready for Christmas and New Year if everything goes to plan.

The building is a Grade 2 listed building and the redevelopment has cost around £500,000. The restaurant can cater for 182 diners at a time.

The Bull and Crown has a long history in Chingford and many people cherish fond memories of the pub. It is a shame that it has now become a restaurant, but times are changing and the land mark building will still serve the local community well.

In ‘The parish and borough of Chingford‘ (1966) it was described as “a large Edwardian building with terra-cotta decoration ‘in the wildest Loire style“. The building was constructed in 1898 in a “Second Empire Style” and was granted Grade 2 listed status by English Heritage on 24th February 1987.

The Bull and Crown Closed 2009

“The Bull” pub has had a troubled past. In 2009 it closed down after an extensive police operating which resulted in 17 people being charged with 130 offences relating to drug and gun crimes in Chingford and the surrounding area. The Bull and Crown was one of 3 pubs involved in organised crime in the area.

After the pub closed many people turned out in March 2010 to discuss what was to be done with it, including Iain Duncan Smith MP. There were plans to convert the upper floors into flats and the ground floor into a bar or restaurant. Many locals were against a new bar as it had always attracted trouble:

”We had many anti-social behaviour problems when it was a pub, people use to vandalise cars and smash bottles in the street.” Mary Stimson, Woodland Road residents’ association.

18 New Jobs

The new restaurant will create 18 local jobs, which is certainly good news. It seems that while the closure of classic old pubs is never welcomed by everyone, in this case Prezzo’s are doing the local community great service by re-opening a classic building and revitalising a small corner of Chingford.

Location:

  • Prezzo
  • 1a The Green
  • Chingford
  • E4 7ES

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