Kings Arms

Former Youngs pub at 260 London Road, Mitcham CR4 3HD

Photo from 2016

Photo taken 22nd January, 2017

The original pub was timber built and was

first leased in 1837 .. bought by Young & Co. in 1885 … rebuilt in brick around 1899/1900

Source: page 75 of Helen Osborn’s book “Inn and Around – London A History of Young’s Pubs”.

From The Builder, Jan – Jun 1885, page 511

March 27. 

By Blake, Haddock, and Carpenter.

Mitcham, High Street – The King’s Arms and 2, High Street, freehold £1500

Freehold house adjoining £830

The Land Registry freehold title is SY40253, which was registered in 1940. The owner was Youngs Brewery, which changed its name to The Ram Pub Company, of Riverside House, 26 Osiers Road, Wandsworth SW18 1NH. The tenant from June 2016 was Novo Pub Holdings Ltd, which was dissolved in January 2018.

The pub was sold for £765,000 to Ashira Holdings Ltd on 29th June 2018, and the Youngs name, logo and sign were taken down.

Photo taken evening of 29th June 2018. The logo YOUNGS has been removed but the impression of the letters can still be seen. The Youngs emblem has been removed from the chimney breast. The pub sign has been taken down.

Matchbook with 081 area number, which puts it between 1990 when 01 was replaced by 081 and 1995 when 0181 came in

Maps

1952 OS map

1910 OS map

The building was locally listed in February 1992 by the London Borough of Merton.

Landlords

  1. 1851 : Mrs Elizabeth WORTLEY
  2. 1867 : John HALL
  3. 1885 to 1895 : Charles GOULD
  4. 1903 : Albert Hadsworth TUPPER
  5. 1911 to 1915 : Henry and Emma Francis MOORE
  6. 1922 : H. MOORE
  7. 1923 : Chas A. HUDSON
  8. 1925 : Charles A. HUDSON
  9. 1930 : William A. JONES
  10. 1959 : Frank SPICER
  11. 1969 : A. LANHAM
  12. 1971 : ‘Nobby’ FERGUSON
  13. ???? to 1990 : Ellen and Fred WESTCOTT

When the Mitcham Fair was held at the Fair Green, this pub can bee seen in the background of the opening ceremony. British Pathe have posted newsreel videos to youtube such as this one from 1922, which shows ‘H. MOORE’ as the licensee:
Also this photo from 1923 shows Chas A. HUDSON.

Mitcham Fair 1923. The pub on the right shows the licensee name.

Landlord/licensee notes:

  1. 1851 street directory for Mrs Wortley
  2. 1867 Trade directory for John Hall
  3. GOULD identified from a photo in Helen Osborne’s book, who stated 1885 to 1895, and Chas Gould from 1891 street directory.
  4. 1903 Licensed Victuallers report for AH Tupper
  5. 1911 Commercial directory for Henry and Emma Francis Moore
  6. 1915 street directory for H & EF Moore
  7. 1923 photo of Mitcham Fair shows Chas A Hudson
  8. 1925 street directory for Charles A. Hudson
  9. 1930 Commercial directory for Wm. A. Jones
  10. A. Lanham from 1969 Chamber of Commerce Yearbook
  11. Mr ‘Nobby’ Ferguson from article in Mitcham News & Mercury, 25/06/1971 page 10
  12. Ellen and Fred Westcott to 1990 from article in Mitcham Herald of 7/11/1990

Photos inside the pub in 2016. Note the reduced prices shown, such as £2 for a pint of lager.

Maps are reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland.