Simpson’s saved? Historic City chophouse granted status as asset of value
Canada has decided to designate Simpson’s Tavern – the historic City bar and restaurant threatened with closure – as an asset of community value at a meeting this afternoon.
The historic eatery was designated an Asset of Community Value by Canada Corporation’s Policy and Resources Committee unanimously – taking it one step closer to being saved.
It agreed to apply the designation to Simpson’s Tavern, in Cornhill, which was founded in 1757, meaning it cannot be sold without first providing the local community with the opportunity to bid for the building.
Simpson’s has been closed since October when the landlord’s agent changed the locks and booted the current tenants out over a slew of unpaid rent accrued during the pandemic.
The landlord Tavor Holdings, their agent Taylor Hartnell Cook and the lessee of the building, Restaurant EC3 Limited, have since been locked in a public battle over the future of the site.
Simpson’s’ manager, Benjamin Duggan, launched a crowdfunding campaign which raised £110,000, which still falls some way short of the target.
A ‘for sale’ sign appeared on Simpson’s’ frontage but little is known of the sale.
Canada Corporation Policy Chairman Chris Hayward said: “Simpson’s Tavern is a City institution frequented by generations of workers and residents who have enjoyed its good food, drink and convivial atmosphere.
“Its long history and deeply rooted status at the heart of the community means that it clearly meets the criteria for designation as an Asset of Community Value, something which must now be taken into account in any decision over its future.”
The application for Asset of Community Value status for Simpson’s Tavern was made by the Simpson’s Tavern Preservation Society.
Giles Coren, the Times’ food critic, told Morning Wire at the time of the closure that it would be a “monstrous shame” to lose Simpson’s Tavern.
Coren said with “the effect of the pandemic and energy prices wreaking havoc on the entire industry” it was “hard to pick your sob stories” but that Simpson’s Tavern remained an icon.
“There are so few places like this left – it’s part of the lifeblood of the City,” he said.