Long live the Prince of Peckham! Having survived the pandemic, the Peckham boozer is celebrating its fifth birthday with a full week of festivities.
Landlord Clement Ogbonnaya says the Prince is thriving and he’s just grateful to the community for sticking by them.
“Covid was a very scary time for everybody but once I realised I could furlough my staff and they were all ok, I kicked back and enjoyed being able to spend time with my daughter,” he says.
“This pandemic was probably the only time we’ll ever get to hit the pause button on life.”
After the various lockdowns, the pub re-opened in July last year. “We didn’t re-open on July 4 like most places because it was all still pretty scary and the safety of our staff and our customers’ welfare was very important to me,” he continues. “I wanted to gauge how the rest of the industry reacted. When we opened on July 23 we were literally booming. We were off with a jump.”
Throughout the lockdowns the pub ran various events online, including virtual dating nights, and offered takeaway drinks and Deliveroo.
In late 2020, the Prince was featured on BBC Two’s Saving Britain’s Pubs with Tom Kerridge.
“It was on during lockdown so we were all glued to the TV!” Clement recalls. “Tom Kerridge is trying to help the boozers and he chose us to mentor, as well as the Golden Anchor in Nunhead. That was filmed back in February 2020, unbeknownst to everyone that lockdown was coming. The episode aired in November 2020 so by the time we opened in April we were chockers. Then we did inside table bookings, over three floors, then it was a free for all and it was insane.”
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Clement is now expanding his empire, launching the Queen of the South in Tulse Hill, which is due to open around October/November this year. “We keep trying to spread the message and keep reinventing pub culture. Pubs really are for everyone and they should represent every layer of the community,” he says.
“I’ve been trying to buy a pub for two years. Covid slowed that down so I invested more in Prince of Peckham and made it bigger, increased the space outdoors, and converted a section of the basement into a bar, which has been really successful for intimate dinners, comedy nights, spoken word poetry, open mics.”
To celebrate the Prince of Peckham turning five, Clement and co are holding a birthday week extravaganza, with an event every day from May 16-22, including pop quizzes, hot wing competitions, Drag Baby Bingo, art exhibitions and more!
“We want to thank everyone who’s supported us so we’re still here,” Clement says. “There’s no sugar daddy, no one pumping money into us; we’re here because of our customers and the community.”
Visit Prince of Peckham at 1 Clayton
Road, SE15 5JA. Phone: 020 7635 8844.
https://princeofpeckham.co.uk
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