Group Of Squatters Occupies One Of Oldest Pubs In London reports BarStool Mega Store

(EstateNewsWire.com, November 10, 2012 ) Matthews, NC- BBC News reports a deluxe, history-laden pub in the fashionable Chelsea section of west London has some curious new guests: a group of 17 squatters. Until its closing a few months ago by an owner claiming he was losing money, the Cross Keys had operated for at least 300 years.

In its day, it served up food and drinks to such varied guests as St. Paul’s architect Sir Christopher Wren and artists like Whistler, Turner, and Sargent, not to mention reggae star Bob Marley, and Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, a man who knew his way around pubs.

Andrew Bourne, the pub’s landlord, had failed to get permission to convert it to a luxury residence. The squatters are a diverse group, coming from eight different nations and ranging in age between 17 and 36. Two of the group had joined the Occupy Movement as it camped camp outside St Paul's. Another, who would give his name only as “Mr. X,” claimed to have been a successful poultry farmer.

After moving into the closed pub on October 12, the squatters wrote to Bourne, offering to take care of the shuttered property while he was trying to sell it. Bourne called their actions “outrageous,” went to court, and received an eviction order. It may take bailiffs another two to four weeks to oust the squatters, however.

On moving in, the squatters had posted a hand-drawn sign decorated with flowers that sought to assure neighbors they were “quiet and respectful” and planned to keep the pub “safe and tidy until it is going to be used again.” A representative from a neighborhood association said he disagreed with the squatters’ action, though he found them “very hospitable.” The neighborhood group, whose “Save Cross Keys” signs can be seen in nearby building windows, said its goal was to see the pub sold to another owner and maintained as a hostelry.

One squatter, a 21-year-old Portuguese woman studying theater, said the group had repaired faulty toilets, cleared blocked drains and rid the pub of mice. Another squatter said they planned to use part of the building as an art exhibit space.

While squatting in a residential building is a crime carrying a maximum sentence of six months in jail, a fine as high as £5,000 or both, squatting in a commercial building is not a crime, but only a civil offense. With the recent toughening of the law against residential squatting, some property law experts say commercial properties like pubs have become more inviting targets for squatters.

The Cross Keys squatters had earlier been part of a group occupying another commercial building, the vacant former BT headquarters, which became known in the press as the “Hobo Hilton.”

About BarStoolMegaStore.com:

BarStoolMegaStore.com (http://www.barstoolmegastore.com/) sells all types of stools, including bar height stools, counter height stools, and outdoor bar stools. They offer different styles, including top modern stools, best classic leather bar stools and best bargain tools. Several different stools they sell are delivered with free shipping.

ATOZ Companies, Inc.

Benjamin Wrights

1-877-434-2869

info@atozstores.com

Source: EmailWire.Com