Squatters leave Gordon Ramsay’s £13m London pub
The group shut themselves in the York & Albany pub in north London on April 13, boarding up the windows and locking the doors.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Squatters who took over a Gordon Ramsay pub in London have all left the building, a representative for the celebrity chef said.
The group shut themselves in the York & Albany near Regent’s Park, north London, on April 13, boarding up the windows, locking the doors and putting up a “legal warning” defending their takeover.
Locksmiths and bailiffs arrived at the property around 5am on Monday to change the locks and secure the venue, the Evening Standard reported.
A representative for Mr Ramsay told the PA news agency the squatters have now all left the building, from which they had been running an “autonomous cafe” and arts space.
Some had already been seen leaving the site after lawyers for Gordon Ramsay Holdings International Limited (GRHI) secured a High Court order for the premises on Thursday, which had appeared to pave the way for enforcement officers to retake the Grade-II listed building entirely.
But on Saturday, the squatters tore down court orders taped to the venue’s doors and vowed to remain inside the gastropub and hotel, claiming to have reached an agreement with the building’s owner.
Film director Gary Love, who purchased the freehold of the premises in 2007, denied the claims in a statement made on the same day.
Members of the Anarchist Association London Branch and the Camden Art Cafe had previously been with the squatters, handing out free food and drink to “the people of Camden who have been victims of gentrification and parasitic projects like HS2”.
A squatter told the PA news agency on Friday: “We’re not bad people. I pay my taxes, I’ve got a job, I work in a pub.”
He added: “We just need a place to stay, that’s it. We’re trying to do a good thing here.”
Mr Love leased the pub to Mr Ramsay on a 25-year term for an annual rent of £640,000.
The Kitchen Nightmares host unsuccessfully attempted to free himself from the lease in a legal battle at the High Court in 2015.
The venue went on sale at the end of last year with a guide price of £13 million.