The Ivy House
A Grade II listed, community-owned public house and live-music venue in Nunhead, London.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Ivy House is a historic public house at 40 Stuart Road in Nunhead, South London. It is best known for its architectural heritage, its long association with live music, and its role in British community ownership. The building is Grade II listed and is widely described as London's first co-operatively owned pub. It was also the first community asset in the United Kingdom to be purchased on behalf of local residents through the right-to-bid provisions of the Localism Act 2011. The building opened on 4 October 1938 as the Newlands Tavern. Designed by architect A. E. Sewell for Truman's Brewery, it replaced an earlier pub on the site that had existed since the 1860s. The 1930s building retains significant period features, including a curved bar, timber panelling and a rear concert hall with associations to the design language of earlier Victorian music halls. The hall has hosted dances, parties and community events; it was also used for celebrations around VE Day in 1945. During the Second World War, the pub narrowly avoided destruction when a V1 flying bomb hit nearby in 1944 and damaged much of the surrounding street. The venue developed a strong musical identity from at least the 1960s. Under the Newlands Tavern name, it became one of the important South London pub-rock venues during the 1970s. Artists associated with performances at the pub or its earlier incarnation include Ian Dury with Kilburn and the High Roads, Elvis Costello with Flip City, Joe Strummer with The 101ers, Eddie and the Hot Rods, Graham Parker, Jeff Beck and Dr. Feelgood. The premises were renamed the Stuart Arms during the 1980s and became The Ivy House after Enterprise Inns acquired it in the 1990s. A decisive turning point came in April 2012, when Enterprise Inns evicted the tenants with approximately one week's notice and announced plans to sell the property for redevelopment as flats. Local residents, supported by the Campaign for Real Ale, organized to preserve the pub. Their campaign secured Grade II listing and designation by Southwark Council as an Asset of Community Value, the first such designation in London under the Localism Act 2011. Ivy House Community Pub Limited subsequently purchased the freehold on 15 March 2013. The transaction made the Ivy House the first Asset of Community Value acquired on behalf of a community using the Act's right-to-bid mechanism, and London's first co-operatively owned pub. Since the community purchase, the pub has operated as a local social and cultural venue overseen by a management committee of local shareholder members, with day-to-day operations handled by co-managers. Its offer combines conventional pub service with live music, events and community activity. The venue again became associated with contemporary independent music, hosting acts including Goat Girl, caroline, Kiran Leonard, Darren Hayman and The Monochrome Set. It has also served as a filming location, including for the 2015 film Legend and the 2025 Netflix series Too Much. The Ivy House was included in Time Out's list of the 50 best pubs in London in both 2023 and 2025.
History
The Ivy House occupies a site that had contained a public house since the 1860s. The present building was commissioned by Truman's Brewery and designed by A. E. Sewell in the 1930s. It opened as the Newlands Tavern on 4 October 1938, replacing the earlier premises. Its surviving architectural elements include a curved bar, timber panelling and a substantial rear concert hall. The hall's layout and atmosphere retain links to older Victorian music-hall traditions, while its later use included dances, parties and other neighborhood gatherings. During the Second World War, the pub survived a nearby V1 rocket strike in 1944 that destroyed or damaged much of the surrounding street. From at least the 1960s, the Newlands Tavern was used as a music venue. It became particularly prominent during the South London pub-rock movement of the mid-1970s. Performers linked to the venue include Ian Dury and the Kilburn and the High Roads, Elvis Costello when he was performing with Flip City, Joe Strummer and The 101ers, Eddie and the Hot Rods, Graham Parker, Jeff Beck and Dr. Feelgood. The pub changed its name to the Stuart Arms in the 1980s. After Enterprise Inns acquired it in the 1990s, it adopted the name The Ivy House. The pub's survival was threatened in 2012. Enterprise Inns evicted the tenants in April with about a week's notice and publicized plans to sell the building for residential redevelopment. Residents formed a campaign to protect the premises, with assistance from CAMRA. The campaign pursued both statutory heritage protection and community-asset recognition. The building was awarded Grade II listed status, while Southwark London Borough Council listed it as an Asset of Community Value under the Localism Act 2011. This was the first such designation in London. The community campaign proceeded beyond preservation lobbying. Ivy House Community Pub Limited was formed to acquire the freehold on behalf of local supporters. On 15 March 2013 it completed the purchase. The transaction was historically significant because it was the first acquisition of an Asset of Community Value on behalf of a community through the right-to-bid mechanism established by the Localism Act. It also made The Ivy House London's first co-operatively owned pub. The governance model placed a local shareholder management committee above co-managers responsible for day-to-day operation. An art-house documentary, Public House, directed by Sarah Turner, documented the pub's transition into a cooperative community enterprise. Community ownership did not eliminate workplace tensions. In 2018, bar staff went on strike over the use of zero-hours contracts and other working conditions. The workers, who were members of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers' Union, argued that employees should be treated as equal beneficiaries of the community project rather than being excluded from meaningful participation in its governance. The dispute is an important part of the pub's modern history because it highlighted the practical challenges of aligning cooperative ownership, volunteer or shareholder governance and employment rights. In later years The Ivy House re-established itself as a live-music venue. Artists associated with its contemporary program include Goat Girl, caroline, Kiran Leonard, Darren Hayman and The Monochrome Set. The building has also been used for screen production, including the 2015 film Legend, a dramatization of the Kray twins, and the 2025 Netflix series Too Much. Its heritage and programming have contributed to continued public recognition, including appearances in Time Out's list of the 50 best pubs in London in 2023 and 2025. The venue remains an active local pub, event space and music location.
- 2018
Bar staff take industrial action
[1]Workers struck over zero-hours contracts and workplace conditions.
- 2013
Community purchase completed
[1]Ivy House Community Pub Limited bought the freehold on 15 March, creating London's first co-operatively owned pub.
- 2012
Community campaign protects the pub
[1]Following an eviction and proposed redevelopment, residents and CAMRA secured Grade II listing and Asset of Community Value status.
- 1990
Adopts the Ivy House name
[1]After Enterprise Inns acquired the pub in the 1990s, it became known as The Ivy House.
- 1980
Renamed the Stuart Arms
[1]The premises operated under the Stuart Arms name during the 1980s.
- 1970
Becomes a notable South London pub-rock venue
[1]During the mid-1970s pub-rock boom, the Newlands Tavern hosted a range of influential performers.
- 1944
Survives nearby V1 rocket strike
[1]A V1 rocket destroyed much of the surrounding street, but the pub itself narrowly escaped destruction.
- 1938
Present building opens as the Newlands Tavern
[1]The building designed by A. E. Sewell for Truman's Brewery opened on 4 October 1938, replacing an earlier pub on the site.
Products and positioning
A heritage London pub positioned around community ownership, architectural preservation, local sociability and live music rather than a national hospitality chain identity.
Hospitality
Pub service
The Ivy House operates primarily as a traditional neighborhood public house, offering drinks, refreshments and a social setting within a protected historic building. Detailed current menus and product ranges are not established by the supplied reference material.
Music and events
Live music program
Live music is a central part of the venue's identity. The pub has hosted artists from the 1970s pub-rock era and later contemporary performers, using its rear concert hall and associated event spaces for performances.
Events
Community event space
The historic hall and pub rooms support dances, parties, cultural events and other local gatherings. The community-owned structure makes the venue both a hospitality business and a neighborhood social asset.
Marketing campaigns
- 2012Save The Ivy House community campaign
Nunhead · London
Local residents, supported by CAMRA, campaigned to prevent the pub's sale and conversion into flats after Enterprise Inns evicted the tenants.
Outcome. The building received Grade II listing and became London's first Asset of Community Value under the Localism Act framework.
Brand decisions
2018
Employment practices challenged by bar staffOtherBackground
Bar staff raised concerns about zero-hours contracts, working conditions and their limited role within the community ownership model.
Action taken
Workers represented by the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers' Union went on strike.
Aftermath
The dispute drew attention to the tension between community ownership and employee participation; a definitive settlement is not established in the supplied sources.
2013
Community acquisition of the freeholdM&ABackground
The right-to-bid provisions of the Localism Act created a route for a community organization to acquire the threatened pub.
Action taken
Ivy House Community Pub Limited purchased the freehold on 15 March 2013.
Aftermath
The Ivy House became London's first co-operatively owned pub and the first community purchase completed through the Act's right-to-bid provisions.
2012
Community pursues heritage and community-asset protectionStrategyBackground
Enterprise Inns evicted the tenants and announced plans to sell the pub for residential redevelopment.
Action taken
Residents and CAMRA sought statutory listing and Asset of Community Value status to preserve the building and its pub use.
Aftermath
The pub gained Grade II status and became the first such designated community asset in London.
Sources2 sources
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