The Friends of the Magdala are very pleased to say that we have seen the new architectural plans for the Magdala and think that they fit in very well with the needs of future customers. The ground floor will remain very much as it was – with a small rear extension to the saloon bar, while there will be a separate staircase to the function room on the first floor. The saloon bar panelling will remain in place. The only loss is that the outside ‘garden’ space on the left hand side of the building will be smaller owing to a new pathway to allow access to the rear entrance of the upstairs flats. We are therefore minded to withdraw our objections to the development and to notify Camden Council of our position.

Subject to general agreement, it appears that the new opening date will be April 1st 2015.

We would be very interested to hear any comments on this new situation – so please post some!

As predicted, the Magdala Tavern closed for business on the weekend of September 6/7. It was a glorious farewell to a wonderful pub.
Friday night saw the renowned impressionist Jon Culshaw hosting the ‘very, very, very’ last comedy show at the Mag. Saturday was the last public night and packed with the regulars giving the tavern a rousing adieu.
Sunday was a particularly heartening and poignant night, as the landlady Christiane hosted her goodbye party. After a vote of thanks speech by our favorite orchestral conductor George Vass (formerly director of the Hampstead and Highgate Festival, now director of the Presteigne Festival), Christiane gave a superb speech, both funny and moving, concerning her sixteen years as the guiding force of the pub, and the contribution made, of course, by Alex, and by her bar staff across the years, most recently Ricky, Natalia, and Adam. (Incidentally we wish Ricky and Natalia best wishes for their marriage).
The evening ended with a glittering array of talent performing in the saloon bar. The veteran jazz pianist John Southgate (who has generously shared his talent with us over hundreds of nights) ; the multi-talented singer-actor-musician Andrew Hobday on great form; Jon Culshaw’s splendid poem to the Magdala (and his conjuring of Boris Johnson’s alter ego here for the beer); the great jazz piano of John Croucher (accompanied by Rigsby the Singing Dog); the beautiful voice of Maya Berlec singing ‘Cry Me A River’; and the simply breath-taking violin and piano performance of Bernd Gradwohl created a genuinely unforgettable night.
So, farewell!
The future is still in the balance. We have approached the new owner by letter inviting him to contribute his input to the website; however, as yet, we have received no reply.
The main development is that Camden Council have added the Magdala to the list of Assets of Community Value under the Localism Act and have published the fact on the Camden Council Website, where there is also an outline of what this means for the future.
Please keep visiting the website for news, and please encourage others to sign up for the newsletter, and please use the Social Media buttons to share the information; the word gets out quickly if it is spread through your Facebook friends.
If he wishes it, we remain determined to offer the new owner our genuine support in creating another great chapter in the life of the Magdala.

THE VERY, VERY LAST EVER FUNNY FRIDAYS COMEDY CLUB @ THE MAGDALA!
JON CULSHAW headlines!

Friday 5th September, 2014 – 8pm (Doors 7.30pm)
As many of you will know, The Magdala as we know and love it is to be no more, as the historic pub is to be converted, and the room that has hosted Funny Fridays for the past three years is destined to become someone’s front room. Therefore our final show on 5th September will be the FAREWELL FUNNY FUNNYS @ THE MAGDALA CHARITY EXTRAVAGANZA!!!! The fantastic Jon Culshaw returns to close our farewell celebrations joined by our favourite acts from the past three years! — JON CULSHAW headlines! Renowned comedy impressionist and Magdala local Jon Culshaw joins us to headline our Xmas extravaganza! Jon has appeared on a succession of hit shows including Dead Ringers, ITV’s 2DTV, The Impressionable Jon Culshaw, Jon Culshaw’s Commercial Breakdown and The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson. Jon has a catalogue of an estimated 350 impressions and is rightly regarded as one of the best impressionists in the UK. — All tickets will be on the door on the night, with a suggested donation of £10 – All proceeds will be split between Marie Curie Cancer Care and Mind. — The Magdala 2a South Park Hill, Hampstead. NW3 2SB 02074352503 Google Maps: http://bit.ly/iIqShJ http://the-magdala.com/

South End Green Association/ Friends of the Magdala

We have applied to Camden to have the Magdala listed as an Asset of Community Value under the 2011 Localism Act.

This will give a degree of protection to the pub should any change of use be proposed.

In support of the application we need to provide evidence of the Magdala’s use as a local amenity.

One way is to show how its function room has been used for meetings of community groups.

SEGA, for instance uses it all the time for members’ gatherings.

Do you know of any groups, clubs, associations that have used it for meetings?

Do you know of other uses, eg. births, weddings, funerals, quizzes, comedy, poetry?

If you know of anything specific, please post it here as a matter of urgency so that the application can be returned to Camden!

(Please use the Social Media links here to share this with your friends!)