Herne Hill’s Cafe Provencal has shut down permanently after its managers said COVID-19 was the last straw in a series of challenges.
The business, founded in 1994, had already suffered the impact of Half Moon Lane’s serious flood in 2013 when a Thames Water pipe burst, leaving 58 traders with losses in excess of £6.7 million.
Payouts took years, and many traders never reopened. According to the Herne Hill Forum, footfall to the area has still not recovered. The business then suffered further flooding and a fire.
The unit has now been cleared out, with co-owner Alan Gaunt tweeting that the restaurant and bar would not be re-opening at the end of lockdown: “We are done. Two floods and fire and now this. No more energy.”
So so so so sad ? so many wonderful memories and the heart of herne hill will leave such a huge void.