A London institution that's a home-away-from-home for many young Kiwis and Aussies is about to shut, the victim of a booming property market.
The Shepherd's Bush Walkabout Pub, which featured rugby as well as bands and drinks from down under, has been sold and its site will be redeveloped.
The Walkabout Pub in Shepherd's Bush Pub closes tomorrow, and it'll be sadly missed by young Kiwis and Aussies living in London.
"It's one of those places you know about before you even arrive in London," says Kiwi expat Jonathan Drew. "You always know there's a place you can go. There'll always be antipodeans around."
It was a place where you knew you could always watch the rugby, no matter what time, or take in some music from down under.
Queenstown expatriate Martin Fraser is deputy manager.
"The amount of people you meet who live just up the road or who you went to school with, it's insane," says Mr Fraser. "And to be able to come here and have artists playing like King Kapese and Che Fu, having things like Speights on tap."
But sadly the site's so valuable the owners are selling and shutting down the pub, which had attracted police attention after some infamous Sunday sessions. Perhaps their signature drinks, like the snakebite, had a bit too much kick.
But expats will have to find another home-away-from-home when the bar shuts for good after tomorrow night's NRL final.
3 News
source: newshub archive
