Prime property position: the Leslie Arms has been placed for auction for a third time since June
For sale: one long-neglected, heritage-listed Victorian boozer, likely to require millions of pounds to put right. For the third time in four months, the Leslie Arms is up for auction. And Labour councillors have appealed to pub chains to show it a little tender loving care. By STEVEN DOWNES
Troubled business: Anwar Ansari has lost at least five properties to the receivers
Croydon Labour councillors Sean Fitzsimons, Patricia Hay-Justice and Nick Beall have written an open letter to Tim Martin, boss of pub chain Wetherspoons, to stump up at least £1.3million to buy the Leslie Arms in their Addiscombe West ward.
The long-closed pub and four flats on the upper floor of the Grade II-listed building are up for auction again this week, at a plush event being held at Claridge’s in Mayfair.
The building, or parts of it, has been offered for sale at auction on at least two previous occasions this year, as the property empire of Dr Anwar Ansari hit financial problems, with parts tipping into receivership. On one occasion, the building was withdrawn for sale just hours before the auction; on the next occasion, when the flats alone were offered for sale, they failed to meet the reserve price.
The auction is being held on Wednesday, this time handled by Palace Auctions with a headline £1.3million guide price (although this is contradicted elsewhere in the sales spiel, which pitches it at £1.45million). The web page listing also mentions “Foreclosure”.
Photographs of the interior of the splendid old pub show the place to have been badly neglected and run-down. But some of the original features, including the pub’s bar, appear to still be in place.
Spoons appeal: how Addiscombe West Labour councillors have raised the Leslie Arms with Tim Martin
“With the news that the Leslie Arms is being auctioned next week, now is the time to save this historic [pub] from neglect and decay and return it to its former glory,” the councillors posted on social media.
“Addiscombe West councillors have appealed to a number of pub chains, including Wetherspoons, to buy this building and bring it back to life and help serve the growing community around East Croydon.”
A pub or inn had been on the site, at the junction of Cherry Orchard Road and Lower Addiscombe Road, since the 1850s, when cadets from the East India Company’s academy were among its regulars.
Local brewers Nalder and Collyer rebuilt the Leslie Arms in its distinctive Arts and Crafts style, opening in 1900.
The pub closed in 2000, and under Ansari’s ownership the building was long neglected, added to Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register in 2009 and placed on the Victorian Society’s “Top 10 Endangered Buildings List” in 2019. Historic England has subsequently raised further warnings to classify the Leslie Arms as being at “immediate risk of further rapid deterioration”.
Wetherspoons is among various pub chains that have been contacted by Labour’s Addiscombe West councillors. In their open letter addressed to “Dear Tim”, they write: “The pub has been owned for a quarter of a century by a developer who has made a series of unsuccessful planning applications to convert the building to alternative uses.
Spoons saviour?: Tim Martin has closed more pubs than he has opened in Croydon in the last six years
“He has however, encountered some financial issues, and the building is now due to be auctioned next week.
“Given your excellent record of restoring and protecting historic pubs, we ask that you consider whether this might be a worthwhile addition to the Wetherspoons chain.
“The site benefits from substantial passing foot traffic, very good transport links and a growing residential community and could potentially be an iconic venue at the heart of our community once again.”
If Tim Martin, or the Spoons property management team, bothers to look at the auction particulars for the Leslie Arms, they will see a description of “From Victorian Pub to Croydon Mixed Use Investment Property”. The auctioneers suggest that the building generates £205,450 per year in rental income, although that figure is contradicted elsewhere in their listing. Nor is there any clear rental schedule provided to show how that income is generated.
In June, when the whole building, including its flats, was first offered for auction, the guide price was £1.45million, and its rental income was valued at £141,800 per year. Then, a schedule showed the landlord was charging £1,800 per month (£21,600 per year) for a one-bedroom flat on the first floor.
Photographs of the upper floors of the Leslie Arms on the Palace Auctions website show slum-like conditions of the upper floors, which are now vacant.
‘Foreclosure’: how the Leslie Arms auction appears on the Palace Auctions website
The auctioneers’ AI slop description says: “The Croydon mixed-use investment property at 62 Lower Addiscombe Road, known as the Former Leslie Arms Public House, presents a rare chance to acquire a substantial freehold asset in a thriving south London location.
“This landmark building, offered by Palace Auctions London, comprises a ground and basement office with four self-contained residential flats above, totalling approximately 566.00sqm (6,154sqft). Fully let and producing a robust annual income of £140,000, the property delivers a gross yield of 9.78% on the attractive guide price of £1,450,000…
“Investors seeking a Croydon mixed-use investment property will appreciate the diversified income streams, prominent corner position and significant regeneration underway in the area… offering both immediate returns and long-term growth potential for discerning buyers.”
Up for sale: Palace Auctions web listing says the Leslie Arms guide price is £1.3m. And £1.45m
And the not-altogether-reliable bullshit goes on, and on and on: “Today, the Leslie Arms stands as a testament to Croydon’s heritage, now reborn as a Croydon mixed-use investment property with a new lease of life,” the particulars state further down the page.
The auctioneers repeatedly refer to a “Croydon mixed-use investment property”, sometimes twice in the same sentence. They never refer to it as a pub.
“As a Grade II-listed property, any alterations must respect its historic character, ensuring that this Croydon mixed-use investment property retains its unique charm for generations to come.” See?
According to the auctioneers, “The title is registered with HM Land Registry and currently held by Leslie Arms Croydon Limited.” Leslie Arms Croydon Ltd’s registered office is at 62 Lower Addiscombe Road. It is a dormant company, and according to Companies House records, is not subject to receivership action. The company was formed in 2022 and has a single director: Sabeen Ansari, one of the doctor developer’s wives.
As Inside Croydon reported in August, at least six Ansari-linked companies were subject to “Receiver action”, according to public records.
At its peak, properties owned by Ansari and members of his family were thought to be valued at at least £90million. Companies House shows Ansari, 68, as the director or former director on more than 80 company listings.
Read more: Ansari’s £90m property empire in collapse as receivers move in
Read more: £1.45m Addiscombe landmark building withdrawn from auction
Read more: Leslie Arms timeline: sad 25-year decline of heritage building
Read more: Property developer ordered to pay £65,000 over dog attacks
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This move smacks of desperation. I’d very much like to see the Leslie Arms brought back into use as a pub. It’d be great, but I fear that will never happen. Wetherspoons are unlikely to be interested – the location isn’t right, the refurbishment costs will be huge and add to that the Grade II listing and all the complications that entails, sadly I can’t see it happening. I mean if Wetherspoons could not make the Skylark viable, I don’t see how they’d make this work.
I think the best option we could see is a conversation to flats, that’s is a mystery fire does not happen first. It’s a magnificent building and it’d be a shame to lose it. So flats may be the least worst option.
Pubs are re-opening, albeit at a snail’s pace, even in Croydon. Full marks to the councilllors for taking the initiative. Spoons within a five minute walk would be cool.
Full marks to the councillors indeed – at least they are trying. However you only need to look at other nearby pubs, such as the Glamorgan and the Windmill to see the future. Both are in their current state a real shame and a great loss. Given that, my point was a sympathetic conversation to flats for the Leslie Arms might be the least worst option (although not ideal) to save the historic building.
£1.3m for a derelict pub from a greedy property developer, whose business is going belly up? Wetherspoons won’t touch it because of the high refurbishment costs, even if they only offered £1.30 to take it off Ansari’s hands.
This comment may not be totally relevant but currently you can get an incredible cup of coffee from any Wetherspoons for £1.89 and you can get a second refill. The coffee beans used are Lavazza And the selection of drinks is wide.
There is probably nowhere in Western Europe where you can get a coffee as cheap as this and if there is, I would be delighted to hear about it
Try going to Spain. Anything more than €1.50 is getting pricy in a local bar.
I just noticed that one of Mayor Perry’s neighbours is also selling up at the auction tomorrow. With such illustrious neighbours, why would anyone want to move?!