Squatters who took over Gordon Ramsay’s £13m London pub have been served with papers forcing them to “cancel” their soup kitchen which they claimed was running away from the Camden restaurant.
Camden Art Cafe, a group of self-described radical activists, took over the celebrity chef’s former York & Albany pub in north London last week in what they claim is a legal occupation of the building .
However, in a post on their Instagram profile, the masked activists – who fled from journalists this weekend – claim they were served papers and had to cancel their opening today.
The statement read: “Apologies to everyone who was coming today. Papers served, coffee cancelled!
Representatives for Ramsay, who was apparently in the process of handing over the building’s lease to a new tenant at the time the squatters moved in, have been contacted for comment.
The York & Albany pub in Camden, north London, was taken over by squatters earlier this month who said they wanted to turn it into a soup kitchen.
The pub and boutique hotel was run by Gordon Ramsay – but the chef was reportedly renegotiating the lease.
The so-called “Camden Art Café” announced Tuesday that it had received paperwork and could not operate the soup kitchen.
The squatters took up residence inside the pub, leaving litter lying around, setting up board games and generally making themselves at home.
Cans of spray paint sit in a can on a table in a room of Ramsay’s gastropub on Tuesday.
Fresh produce is placed on a shelf at the back of York & Albany (left) and in crates for the soup kitchen.
A squatter appears curled up in a sleeping bag at the back of the bar – a pair of sneakers abandoned at his feet.
On Sunday, campaigners said they had taken over the pub to make it available to “victims of gentrification and parasitic projects like HS2”.
MailOnline had sought to contact the squatters for comment, but they did not respond to requests on social media and, when approached by journalists on Saturday, fled.
A statement posted on Instagram read: “It seems entirely appropriate that £13 million properties that most locals would never be able to afford to visit are open to everyone.
“The York and Albany has been an iconic building in Camden since it opened in the 1820s; it has withstood wars and bombs, and despite what the media says, it will withstand the potentially short but hopefully long stay that we squatters have here.
“At a time when Camden Market has been taken over by a billionaire and many long-standing local businesses are being forced out of their units, it is even more important that we all come together in every form of resistance we know and can.”
Donors dropped off raw materials – including 10kg of potatoes – for the radical group as they moved into the Grade II-listed York & Albany pub.
Posters in windows asked for donations and claimed that squatting was not illegal because recent changes to occupation laws only covered unauthorized use of residential buildings.
Photos taken on Tuesday show the building had been prepared for a new opening of the so-called “community cafe” before the papers were handed over to the squatters.
Cans of spray paint sat in a box on a small table in the back room where people had been invited last week for soup.
And in front of the bar, a squatter seemed asleep in a sleeping bag, a pair of shoes abandoned at his feet.
Ramsay had sought legal advice at the weekend after the Metropolitan Police said it could not intervene in a “civil matter”.
The cafe had previously shared images of people drawing inside the squatted space.
The interior of the York & Albany pub when it was still open, showing its comfortable seating and luxurious facilities
But the pub is a shadow of its former self: squatters drag the furniture around as they please and leave their personal belongings scattered on the floor.
Two masked squatters fled from reporters on Saturday when approached for comment.
The squatters shared images from inside the pub, including dogs (left) and some of the food prepared (right) by the so-called community kitchen.
A A piece of paper signed by “The Occupants” and taped to the window read: “Please note that we occupy this property and that there is at least one person occupying this property at all times.
“Any entry or attempted entry into these premises without our authorization therefore constitutes a criminal offense as any of us in physical possession resist such entry without our authorization.
“That if you attempt to enter by violence or threat of violence, we will prosecute you. You could face imprisonment of up to six months and/or a fine of up to £5,000.
“That if you want to get us out, you will have to file a possession claim with the County Court or the High Court. »
Occupying a person’s non-residential property without their permission is not itself a crime in the UK, although the police can take action if crimes are subsequently committed, including damaging the property or steal it.
Under government guidelines, squatters can apply to become registered owners of a property if they have occupied it continuously for 10 years, acted as owners during that time and have not previously received the permission to live there.
Director and actor Gary Love purchased the freehold of the abandoned former coaching inn from the Crown Estate in 2006.
Ramsay then began leasing the property under a 25-year contract in 2008, transforming it into a boutique hotel and fine dining restaurant, but unsuccessfully attempted to get out of the lease in 2015.
Ramsay had claimed that his father-in-law, who was then CEO of his company Gordon Ramsay Holdings, used a “ghost typewriter” to sign his name on a document that made him personally responsible for the rent. The court ruled in favor of Gary Love.
The restaurant has had its troubles on TripAdvisor. In 2020, a scathing review appeared on the site, criticizing what it claimed was a small steak and “too salty” chips for £23.
The one-star review was titled “Gordon is not Heston”, referring to rival chef Heston Blumenthal.
The Mail On Sunday reported in 2020 that the pub had racked up losses totaling £15 million since opening in 2008.
Records also reveal the establishment made losses of more than £550,000 in just one year to the end of August 2019.
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