THE RIVER MAGAZINE | Autumn 2016 3 | p r o p e r t y | THE RIVER MAGAZINE | Spring 2017 19 L auded by The Spectator as a “pub among thousands – but one at the centre of a community, and of stories told from generation to generation” The Gladstone Arms on Lant Street is reopening its doors again this spring. A few years back the previous landlords, Punch Taverns, sold the venue to a company registered offshore called Sartorio who have since been dissolved. It’s said Sartorio were borrowing money from another firm in Luxembourg with the intention of demolishing the site to make way for a ten story block of ‘luxury apartments’. Sartorio gave tenants Dan and Danny a rent rise and soon after notice to quit, with the doors finally shutting in the autumn of 2016. Is it not clear to local councillors and to the local MP Neil Coyle, that the relentless and unpleasant build of new offices and luxury apartments is eating away at the cultural and social cohesion of the area? With a stay of execution in place, three budding young entrepreneurs, Megha, Gaurav and Abhinav are bringing the pub back to life this spring. Between them they have stacks of experience in the hospitality sector, and the trio intend to continue serving great local beers as well as exotic cocktails infused with local ingredients. “Three cheers to them!” Glad to be back Can it be true that The Glad is still standing? I t started off as the name that Dan and Danny used for their recording label for their own music but has also become the banner under which they promote their events at The Spit & Sawdust. You may be familiar with these two – they ran The Glad from 2006 until they were squeezed out ten years later and the landlords sold the place for a thumping profit. What started as an intimate venue for themselves and some friends, The Glad became increasingly popular. More and more acts lined up to play the place; a tiny pub with no stage or dressing room but a great reputation. So ‘of its type’was The Glad, that Amy Winehouse once used the place for a photo shoot and Paul Weller stumbled in after hours only to hang around until late with the hosts jamming with acoustic guitars. But the new owners Sartorio had no time for anecdotes and reminded Dan and Danny that if they complained or made a fuss as they exited the place, they would lose their substantial deposit for ‘harming the landlords interests’and breaching contract. Hands tied and gagged they left in October 2016 and the place closed. But you can’t keep great things down for long. These guys had started out as friends in the 90s London scene running clubs like‘Lordy Lord’, opened The Smersh Bar in Shoreditch and went on to take over Filthy Macnastys in Islington. Superglad is a midweek music event at The Spit & Sawdust with monthly ‘no amplification’traditional folk sessions at the same place. Go - enjoy, it’s impossible not to; and be glad, be very glad, be Superglad! From the ashes, another Glad is born SuperGlad Danny and Dan in front of The Glad Matt and Andy outside Spit & Sawdust on Bartholomew Street, SE1