Bulldozing a community

The Peacock pub in London's East End has been serving its community since 1881. It has been owned by several brewers and various licensees have worked there but over all that time it has remained a traditional local where people can meet and be merry.

However, all that could change after current landlords Ansoll Estates put in a planning application to bulldoze the pub and build four flats and a restaurant in its place.

Customers, staff and friendly neighbours have embarked on a campaign to save the Peacock from becoming one of the 27 pubs that close every week in the UK.

As well as proudly wearing campaign T-shirts, around 1,500 people - including former West Ham footballer Frank Lampard senior - have signed a petition urging Tower Hamlets Council to turn down the application. The campaigners say the last thing they need in an area with plenty of boarded-up buildings is the loss of another pub that helps glue the neighbourhood together.

It's a place of employment, a meeting point and, as The Publican discovered, a second home for many people in the area.

Patsy Pyne, licensee ​

Patsy's family moved to the pub when she was a nine-year-old and it has been part of her life for the past 30 years. Her dad was the licensee but since his death last year Patsy has taken over the running of the pub.

"This is my family home so obviously there are lots of memories and you just get to know so many people," she says.

"You wouldn't get to know anybody if you didn't have your local pub.

"It's not a bad business, we get by, we pay our bills, we are not in debt, we pay our rent on time, we have weathered the smoking ban.

"If my dad was here now I don't know what would be happening."

Gary Ayris, wholesaler ​

Gary works for Prospect Distributors Ltd, which supplies beers, spirits and other goods to pubs - including the Peacock - throughout the East End. But with pubs closing, the company is also facing tougher times. As well as having a business relationship, Gary also enjoys the social side of things at the pub.

He said: "The Peacock is a lovely family house. They put food on the bar for free. This is like our front room and we have had enough of these places closing.

"They are saying it's going to be a restaurant or a wine bar but local people can't afford that, it's not for them."

Tom McDermott, R.E teacher - and friends​

Before embarking on a teaching career Tom was in the Merchant Navy in the 1960s and used the pub back then.

He ended up back in the East End with his new career and remembered the pub. An RE teacher, he regularly joins his colleagues for a drink at the end of the day. "For us it's a good place to relax after a stressful day at school and it is part of the community. We come down here and everyone is friends," he says.

Cathy Lynch, bar worker​

Cathy has worked behind the bar for 31 years - since the Pynes first moved in. She could lose a job which is a huge part of her life.

"I wouldn't work any more, I would give it up," she says. "I have been here so long it just wouldn't be the same. I know everybody here - I've known Patsy since she was a little girl. You wouldn't get the same sense of community spirit anywhere else. It's more than a job to me.

"If we don't see people for a few days we get worried about them and go to their house to see that they're OK. This lot here are like my family."

Sissie and John Cockrell, customers, mother and son​

The pair have been customers for six years after another local, the Bricklayers, closed. John works for London Underground and he takes his 86-year-old mother to the pub most lunchtimes.

Sissie says: "It's so friendly here and at my age you don't want to be looking for other places, you can't keep changing all the time. I have never seen any trouble here - it's got a much better atmosphere than other pubs!"

John adds: "There's always a bit of friendly banter and it's a lovely place to relax and have a drink."

Brian Turner, member of the Peacock Golf Association​

Brian has been a regular at the Peacock for around three years. He used to drink at nearby pub the Mercers Arms, but like so many others in the East End, it has closed for good.

The Peacock Golf Association (PGA) is made up of around 15 to 20 people who meet at the pub before playing a round then head back to talk over a pint about the scores they should have posted.

He says: "It's an oasis around here now, the Peacock is the only place for people to meet. Every other pub has turned into a fried chicken shop or a supermarket.

"It's a mixture of people and a friendly atmosphere - everyone knows each other and gets on. There's never any trouble.

"The golf association is an extension of the pub and shows that it goes beyond these four walls. We need somewhere to go back to afterwards."

Mary Pyne, the matriarch and Elaine Peters, customer​

Known affectionately to some customers as 'Scary Mary' because of her ability to keep control of the pub, Mary, whose family has a long association with the trade, took it on with her husband Ted in the 1970s. She still lives in accommodation above the pub and helps Patsy out with the running of it. She stands to lose her family home of 30 years, just one year after her husband died.

She said: "It is a huge part of my life, there have been so many memories, so many good times. If we lose it I really don't know what I'll do."

Elaine has lived in the area for 45 years. She said: "My family drink in here, my parents, brothers, neighbours, they all drink here. It's a family pub.

"I don't know what we would do if it closed, it's for the whole community. A lot of people need it because it is somewhere where they feel safe.

"Other people from the pub walk them home at the end of the night. It would be so sad to see it go because so many pubs are closing now."