London-based Ducalian Capital exchanged contracts on the Maida Vale site and plans to refurbish it and reopen it as a gastropub in the fourth quarter of 2017.
Ducalian said: “The strategy is to refurbish the original ground-floor space, maintaining a classic 'pub' feel, develop a garden restaurant at the rear and redevelop the first and second floors into a lounge and private dining areas subject to the necessary consents.”
Top chef enlisted
Chef and restaurateur Chris Barber, who previously worked as private chef to Prince Charles and run several food businesses, has been enlisted to manage the pub’s redevelopment.
The Truscott Arms shut its doors last year after licensees Andrew and Mary-Jane Fishwick lost an 18-month legal battle with the building’s owner, Heage Holdings Ltd, over a £175,000 rent hike. The Fishwicks’ second site, the Truscott Cellar, Belsize Park, also closed.
Andrew Fishwick, who is currently working as a hospitality consultant, said: “We are thrilled for the local community that it looks like the Truscott Arms will remain a pub. We always believed we built something truly special and to see that continued is really pleasing."
Outrage at closure
The closure was met with outrage from the local community, with one Labour councillor condemning what he suspected was a bid on the part of the developer to bypass the Truscott’s asset of community value (ACV) status and lay the foundations for conversion to luxury flats.
Before it closed, it consistently ranked among the UK’s Top 50 Gastropubs and was a finalist for Best Wine Pub in the 2016 Great British Pub Awards. It's roast dinner was named the best in the country in 2014.
Chef Aidan McGee, who oversaw the food offer at the Truscott Arms and the Truscott Cellar, took over the kitchen at Fulham pub the Wellington, in November, serving a menu of British classics such as beef cheek with smoked mash; beef wellington for two; and sharing Sunday lunch platters.