One of London’s best taprooms is being forced to close

For the past few years, the High Hill Taproom has been one of London’s best taprooms (according to us) and an important part of the Blackhorse Beer Mile – a cluster of independent breweries on Blackhorse Lane in Walthamstow. 

Sadly, the days of the High Hill Taproom are coming to an end, as Hackney Brewery – which owns the space – announced it would be closing its taproom at the end of March. 

In a statement, Hackney Brewery said: ‘The ongoing situation with our landlord, London Borough of Waltham Forest, has become untenable.’ It added that the council would not grant them a new licence to continue running the bar at the Walthamstow taproom, despite having paid rent consistently for the past two years.  

‘For the past two years, we have honoured our rent payments without fail,’ the statement said. ‘In June 2024, we entered into a voluntary agreement to settle post-COVID debt with our creditors over an extended period. However, this was not acceptable to the Council in respect to arrears due to them, and despite nine months of communication and attempts to resolve the situation, we have been unable to come to a satisfactory agreement.

‘As part of this arrangement, we were required to form a sister company to re-apply for our taproom license under its own name. While the licensing department approved our application, the Council’s property department withheld the necessary permission, which has resulted in the closure.’

Walthamstow Council said it did not ask the taproom to close and that the licence was not connected to the arrears owed. It added that it offered a number of routes to resolving the dispute that would keep the taproom running, but the taproom owners did not accept. 

Councillor Grace Williams, Leader of Waltham Forest Council, said: ‘The council works hard to support local businesses. However, we do expect them to act in good faith and operate according to the terms of their property contract.

‘We must collect the rent that is due to us to fund essential services. If we did not, the only alternative would be to allocate other money from Council Tax receipts or our reserves. Councils have a responsibility to their residents to provide essential services such as adult social care, support for vulnerable children, and help for homeless families.

‘We use many income streams to do this, with one of the most important ones being rent we collect from commercial tenancies. If we did not collect this money, it would impact our ability to provide these essential services, hitting our most vulnerable residents who need the most support hardest.’

The High Hill Taproom will remain open on Thursday and Friday evenings, and all weekend from midday, until its closure on March 30. The brewery will remain in operation. 

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