Simpson’s Tavern fundraiser hits £100k milestone
The Cornhill-based pub, which has been serving customers for 265 years since 1757, closed in October. The manager is aiming to crowdfund £385,000 to reopen the venue.
“During this dark period, the only light we can see is the incredible support we have received,” a statement on the pub’s Twitter account said.
Bosses said they were “staying in this fight to preserve history,” with the Cornhill tavern having a history dating back to 1757.
Historic figures Charles Dickens, Samuel Pepys and William Thackeray were reputed to be customers at the tavern.
Manager Benjamin Dugan said: “Our locks have been changed; our lights turned out. The team displaced with stock spoiling in the fridges as the landlord refuses to engage, seemingly determined to deliberately close the business and remove from the City of London a landmark. A centuries old venue who has placed host to generations of the market.
Saving Simpsons
“It would be a tragedy to see this unique part of the City of London and indeed this nation’s history turn off the lights forever.”
He feared, without support, there would be no road back for the historic institution. “The venue and stories soaked into its walls will be lost,” he continued. “Once we leave, we take it all and the shell that held us, may come to market, but it will never be the same again. Another part of heritage and shared history snuffed out.
“Gone will be a venue whose customers previously bragged about who had been coming the longest or ate the most Stewed Cheese and whose secrets were always kept!
“I hate to beg, I am a professional who is good at their job, but the odds without support are too high, so please, I ask you... Please Save Our Simpsons.”
Symbolising the past
Simpsons Tavern visitor Tom Walker would be “disappointed” if the historic pub closed for good.
He said: “The Simpsons Tavern is a symbol of the city’s foundation, and its relationship with the past.
“As London modernises around us, maintaining elements of its earlier life is crucial to its identity – while the building will remain, replacing the tavern with a Starbucks is one step closer to the city turning into any other modern city. Low fat soy pumpkin spiced lattes are no replacement for steak and ale pie."
