Pub near Beehive Bridge, address was 145 Commonside East; it was redeveloped in 2007 as flats, by a company called Blitzgold, which is now dissolved.
1953 OS map courtesy of the National Library of Scotland, re-use CC-BY
This aerial photo shows the Beehive pub, and to the left of it, Smiths Buildings.
1934 aerial photo
This photo was taken around 2004/5 by a fellow who lived nearby and posted it to Facebook, and has kindly permitted it to be reproduced here. He recalls that his grandfather rented a garage, for the family car, at the yard at the left hand side of the pub. From the aerial photo, it can be seen that the plot on this side was once part of Smiths Buildings, which were demolished in 1934/35. The houses west of the pub, and east of Lavender Walk, were therefore built after that demolition.
Photo taken 2004/2005
Planning application 05/P1892 sought Conservation Area Consent for
Partial demolition of the existing public house & all outbuildings; erection of side, rear & roof extensions & alterations to the public house, in connection with its conversion to form 7 x 2 bedroom self-contained flats; erection of 2 semi-detached bungalows, with rooms in the roof to the rear of the site together with associated car and cycle parking provision and landscaping.
Merton Council approved the application on 21st October 2005
Grant Permission Subject to Section 106 Obligation or any other enabling agreement.
These photos were taken in December 2007.
16/12/2007
16/12/2007
16/12/2007
16/12/2007
Photo taken May 2016
Landlords from street directories
1874 : Richard ARTHUR
1880 : Benjamin TOWNSEND
1891 : Benjamin TOWNSEND
1896 : Benjamin TOWNSEND
1898 : Arthur PAYS
1902 : Arthur PAYS
1911 : James Frank DELL
1918 : Frederick BRUIN
1925 : F.A. BRUIN
1930 : Alfred PAYS
1938 : Alfred Frank PAYS
In 1973, Alf Pays was 74 years old and had been at the Beehive for 43 years, his father before him.
Planning Applications
From Mitcham UDC minutes Volume XIV 1928-29, applicant page & Overton, Ltd., Shirley Brewery, Croydon
no. 1418 improvement to bars
Maps are reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland.
Minutes of meetings held by the Mitcham Urban District Council are available on request from the Merton Heritage and Local Studies Centre at Morden Library.
Mitcham History Notes 