The landlord of the Queen of the South pub in Tulse Hill has launched a crowdfunder to save it from a takeover by a multi-million pound pub group.
Clement Ogbonnaya, who founded the popular Prince of Peckham, opened the Queen in 2023 after it had been closed for years and brought it back to life.
Now, he says, a giant pub group has bought the freehold and given him a deadline to buy it back or risk losing it forever.
Clement has launched a £100,000 Crowdfunder appeal to save the community-based pub. He is also seeking other investors.
“Queen of the South isn’t just a pub. It’s a community. Since opening, we’ve built a welcoming, independent space where people from all walks of life come together for music, food, events, and connection.
“We simply don’t have the resources to compete with corporate buyers — not without help,” he said.
“This isn’t just about saving a pub. It’s about protecting a vital, inclusive space that belongs to the community.”
He said all contributions would go towards keeping the Queen running, from legal fees towards purchasing the freehold, staff wages and refurbishing the pub’s rooftop to create a “one of its kind” bar.
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/saveourqueen
UPDATE: Clement Ogbonnaya has revealed that the buyer of the freehold of the Queen of the South is Youngs, the West London company that closed its brewery in Wandsworth in 2006 to become a pub real estate manager. A rival brewer Greene King re-opened the nearby Tulse Hill Tavern as a boutique hotel in 2014.
