Thomas Dickason moved to the area from Marylebone. He erected several of the first buildings in the Newlands area, and a house to sell beer was a priority.

Dickason’s first building, standing lonesome on an 1862 map, was originally built as the family home. He simultaneously ran a dairy with a position at the foot of Nunhead Hill with fields sloping down beyond.

Dickason was proudly listed in the Post Office Directory as ‘Beer Retailer, Newlands’. However, it was many years before he was granted a full Victualler’s Licence to sell spirits, wine and food as well.

Dickason finally became a Licensed Victualler. ‘THE NEWLANDS TAVERN, PECKHAM RYE…Excellent accommodation for Cricket, Volunteer Football and other Clubs’ Suppers, &c. Old Friends and new faces always welcome. THOMAS DICKASON’.

The Newlands Tavern was at the heart of the Peckham Rye community. Thomas’s son Joseph founded the Newlands Music Society, and his grandsons Tom and Syd joined Honor Oak Cricket Club, which acted as a feeder to Surrey Cricket Club.

Thomas Dickason snr. passes away, and Joseph takes over. Surrey cricketers regularly attended, including Jack Hobbs. Concerts generally attracted men in evening dress singing songs with titles such as ‘The Yeomen of England’ and ‘It’s a Good Job I had My Mother with Me’.

oseph Dickason passes away. His children Tom, Syd and their sister Kate took over, with the younger brother Syd adopting the role as landlord, but he struggled with mental health, passing away in 1913. ‘The patient slowly sank and died today’.

Rhodes agreed on a 14-year lease with Trumans Brewery. He embraced community life, being a plot-holder at the allotments, and held racing pigeon shows (the birds were put up for show, not racing inside the pub!).

The fateful decision was made which ensured that there was a pub to be saved in the 21st Century. A young Trumans’ employee called Maurice Pryor visited, then simply wrote ‘Got to rebuild’.

Terms were agreed with building firm Holloways, working with Trumans’ in-house architect A.E. Sewell. The local press reported that ‘a new tavern of the most modern and elaborate design will arise from the ruins’.

The pub’s re-opening was set for 4th October. However, when the day came, workmen were still flat out. The South London Press reported: “The ‘new’ house was packed”.

Edgar Rhodes passes away. His wife Kathleen took over. ‘Kathleen Rhodes, Wine and Spirit Merchant, “Newlands” Tavern.’ Long-standing local resident Hettie Sarluis recalled beer being delivered to houses via milk float.

On 1st July, a V1 bomb struck a hundred yards away. Surveyors described the pub as being built ‘like Duplo’’, likely saving it from destruction. Others were less fortunate and seventeen people died.

Music and dance were on the agenda, and some fabulous photographs at the pub reflect this. Status Quo are rumoured to have played there as are Pink Floyd.

Landlord Bill Fentiman built the stage. The Daily Mirror ran the headline ‘Now Playing at the Pub... Nude Ballet’.

Bill’s brother Reg and his wife Sue, a young music-loving couple, took over, embracing the fledging pub-rock movement that paved the way for punk.

The Fentimans departed. Elvis Costello, Joe Strummer, Ian Dury, Dr Feelgood, The Stranglers, Nick Lowe, Tom Robinson, Graham Parker, Rory Gallagher and many others had played there.

At the dawn of punk, the pub slipped down the pecking order. Only the front, west bar (now gone) was regularly open. It was now called The Stuart Arms.

The ballroom returned to regular use with Andy Hankdog’s legendary Easycome Acoustic Night, hosting indie artists such as The Noisettes, Florence Welch, David Gray, Fat White Family and many more.

The Stuart Arms closed for extensive renovations, re-opening at the end of 1996. There were major changes, most notably the loss of the west bar and the name, which was now The Ivy House.

New managers Linda and Tom Jeacock started Karaoke evenings. The red curtains still adorn the stage. If an act wasn’t going down well, a button – still there too – was pressed and the curtains slowly closed.

Avant-garde musician and filmmaker Hugh Metcalfe brought his improvisational ‘right weird’ Klinker Club (founded in 1982) south of the river.

Martin and Vivienne Soan’s anarchic comedy evening, ‘Pull The Other One’ arrives. Alan Davies, John Hegley, Jo Brand and Miles Jupp appear. Sue Whitehead and Nygel Packett launched the folk night ‘The Goose is Out’, still going strong. Description goes here

With rumours of the pub’s demise arife, Sue and Reg Fentiman, the landlords during the 1970s were interviewed, and the South London Press agreed to run it. The Ivy House might have a case for a Grade II Listing. The article was brought to the attention of former pub regular called Neil Pettigrew.

Pettigrew’s connection and his role as a member of CAMRA galvanised him to join others working behind the scenes. They agreed something must be done quickly. The application for listing was submitted on 2nd December.

English Heritage visited and were especially excited about the surviving bar spittoons. The time scale for a successful listing was five months, meaning the beginning of May.

Enterprise Inns lines up a developer buyer and the pub was to close after Sunday trading. Would the historical interior be ripped out? Fast-tracking the Grade II listing before the weekend was the immediate priority. But the person to talk to at English Heritage was away until Monday – too late.

At 2.30pm, Neil received the call saying that the DCSM Secretary of State had agreed to make The Ivy House a Grade II Listed Building. There was great rejoicing.

Approaching Enterprise regarding a temporary licence was explored, with a longer-term plan focussing on a community bid to purchase the freehold. A steering group of seven was formed.

The ‘For Sale’ sign disappeared. The pub was bought by a businessman who said he might consider working with the community, but he put the pub up for auction, set for October 29th.

The 2011 Localism Act came into the story. The Act contained “a wide range of measures to… give local communities greater control over local decisions”. ‘The Asset of Community Value’ (ACV) could give a community the power to stop the clock when faced with losing a valued local building (such as a pub!).

A successful application was made in the name of – and with the support of – The Peckham Society, to have the pub listed as an ACV. A six-week moratorium with a bid being prepared triggered the longer six-month moratorium.

An offer of funding came from the Architectural Heritage Fund, for a loan of £550,000, including £50,000 in working capital. But the pub was valued at around £800,000. A grant application was made to the Social Investment Business (SIB) Group.

The SIB requested a visit, but the owner was unwilling to allow access. Last-minute strings were pulled and the SIB representative, Wesley, was shown around the interior. A grant of £450,000 was offered.

Tense negotiations continued. Contact was made with the Plunkett Foundation who advised the steering group, now a community benefit society with the plan of conducting a share issue.

The Ivy House became London’s first community-owned pub, final purchase price £810,000. The share issue was launched and by its close on May 31st, 371 shareholders had bought £142,600 worth. goes here

The pub relaunched. In the words of local resident Tim Barnes, The Ivy House could now earnestly set out on its journey to ‘turn a bunch of streets into a community’.