Half Moon, Herne Hill

The Half Moon

The Half Moon Tavern, 1880

The Half Moon is a Grade II* listed public house at 10 Half Moon Lane, Herne Hill, London.^[1] It is on the Campaign for Real Ale's National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors,^[2] and has been a noteworthy live music venue for over 40 years.^[3] The Half Moon Public House is listed by Southwark Council as an Asset of Community Value.^[4]

History

An inn has stood on the site at the west end of Half Moon Lane, nearest Herne Hill, since the middle of the 17th century,^[5] but the first public house "known by the Sign of the Half Moon" was built by Joseph Miller in 1760. In 1844, Edward Alleyn's original tombstone, removed many years before from Dulwich College Chapel, was re-discovered in the skittle ground of the Half Moon.^[6] In the 19th century, the pub was noted for its flower garden, lawns and tea gardens.^[7] 19th century English author, poet and artist John Ruskin refers to walking "between the hostelry of the Half-moon at the bottom of Herne Hill, and the secluded college of Dulwich".^[8] Between 1894 and 1896 the old Half Moon was rebuilt as a hotel by architect J. W. Brooker.^[1]

The snug bar at the Half Moon contains six back-painted mirrors depicting birds and signed by the renowned ‘W. Gibbs & Sons glass decorators’ of Blackfriars.^[9]

The poet and writer Dylan Thomas lived locally on Milkwood Road and used to drink at The Half Moon. One anecdote recounts how, "Dylan used to come to watch the London Welsh games, and when, after the match, the teams would gather, as rugger clubs do, for a few pints at the old Half Moon Hotel at Herne Hill, Dylan would be there adding lustre to the gathering. He was a great conversationalist".^[10]

Music venue

The Half Moon has been a live music venue for over 40 years, with bands having appeared early in their careers including The Police, Van Morrison and U2.^[11] Locals still refer to an impromptu Half Moon performance by Frank Sinatra, who dropped by to visit his old chauffeur.^[12] The Half Moon was a significant South London venue on the 1970s pub rock circuit, hosting performances by Dr. Feelgood and Eddie and the Hot Rods. It also has a notable place in rock history as being the venue where Chris Blackwell, the founder of Island Records, first met the members of U2 and watched them perform.^[13] More recent acts at the Half Moon include Paloma Faith, Anna Calvi, Kate Tempest, and Turin Brakes.^[14] Grammy Award winner La Roux ^[15] launched her singing career at the pub when she was 17, after being encouraged by her parents to perform at an open mic night.^[16] The pub is particularly renowned as a long-standing venue for live blues music.^[17]

As well as music, the Half Moon has hosted regular comedy, with acts including Eddie Izzard and Omid Djalili. The pub has also been a regular venue for theatre. The play Botallack O'Clock premiered at the Half Moon in 2011, before transferring to the Edinburgh Festival in 2012, and New York in 2013.^[18] There has also been a boxing gym upstairs.^[19][20] The Half Moon has also been a venue for Rollapaluza cycling.^[21]

Depictions

In 1988, the public bar of the Half Moon featured in an advert for Red Rock Cider starring Leslie Nielsen.^[22]

The Half Moon is depicted in the graphic novel, From Hell, by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell.^[23]

Scenes from the 2011 British movie Treacle Jr. starring Aidan Gillen were filmed in the Half Moon.^[24]

Recent history

The pub closed after a 2013 flooding, and has yet to reopen. In December 2015, the pub was awarded Asset of Community Value status by Southwark Council.^[25] In January 2016, London's Fuller's Brewery acquired the lease from the freeholder, the Dulwich Estate, and it is predicted the pub will re-open in late summer 2016.^[26][27][28]

A community campaign to save the music venue at the rear of the pub received backing from local celebrities including Jo Brand and La Roux,^[16][29] but suffered a setback in April 2016 when Southwark Council approved plans to remove the stage and replace it with a new kitchen and dining area. The future of live entertainment at the pub is currently uncertain.

In April 2016, the Half Moon made international news after a picture of its barred list became a viral hit on Twitter.^[30][31] A book of stories inspired by the barred list is currently being crowd-funded.^[32]

References

1. "Half Moon public house". National Heritage List for England. English Heritage. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
2. Brandwood, Geoff (2013). Britain's best real heritage pubs. St. Albans: CAMRA. p. 88. ISBN 9781852493042.
3. "Attempting to revoke a community asset – the Half Moon in Herne Hill". Music Heritage UK. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
4. "List of assets of community value". Southwark Council. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
5. Brunton, John; Doorn, Jeff; Holden, Robert; Knapp, Caroline; Wimble, Margaret; Young, George. Herne Hill Heritage Trail. Herne Hill Society. p. 147. ISBN 978 187 3520 91 8.
6. "A Gazetteer of Dulwich Roads and Place Names". The Dulwich Society. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
7. Brunton, John; Doorn, Jeff; Holden, Robert; Knapp, Caroline; Wimble, Margaret; Young, George. Herne Hill Heritage Trail. Herne Hill Society. p. 148. ISBN 978 187 3520 91 8.
8. Ruskin, John; Rosenberg, John D. The Genius of John Ruskin: Selections from His Writings. University of Virginia Press. p. 435. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
9. "The CAMRA Regional Inventory for London" (PDF). CAMRA. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
10. "Jon Tregenna: Under Milk Wood... SE24?". jontregenna.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-12-30.
11. "Half Moon Pub". Herne Hill Forum. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
12. "5 Things That Could Only Happen In The Half Moon Pub In Herne Hill". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
13. "U2 – the early years: "There was a presence, a magnetism…"". Uncut. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
14. "Venue Review – Half Moon, Herne Hill". London Tourdates Magazine. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
15. "La Roux Win Best Electronic/Dance Album". The GRAMMYs. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
16. "Singer La Roux slams 'aggressive' developers in row over future of iconic Half Moon music pub". Evening Standard. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
17. "Half Moon Blues". Dulwich On View. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
18. "Botallack O'Clock by Eddie Elks". Third Man Theatre. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
19. "Boxercise: The workout that pulls no punches". The Independent. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
20. Watts, Peter. "Getting battered at the Half Moon". The Great Wen - A London Blog. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
21. "Rollapaluza x Dulwich Paragon @ the Half Moon". Rollapaluza roller-racing. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
22. "Leslie Nielson in red rock cider advert 1988". YouTube. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
23. "An Occult Psychogeography of Hawksmoor’s London Churches". The Bohemian Blog. Retrieved 2015-12-30.
24. "Treacle Jr.". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
25. "Half Moon community value status ‘big step forward’". brixtonblog. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
26. Emily Sutherland (2016-01-06). "Half Moon pub in Herne Hill bought by Fuller's". Morningadvertiser.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-02-13.
27. "Herne Hill residents rise up with Half Moon tweet campaign and march against Just Williams toy shop closure". Brixtonbuzz.com. Retrieved 2016-02-13.
28. Jamie Bullen (2016-01-05). "Half Moon pub set to reopen three years after it was closed because of floods". Standard.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-02-13.
29. "Comedian Jo Brand Joins Half Moon Pub Campaigners". www.southwarknews.co.uk. Southwark News. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
30. "'Flat Cap Coke Fiend, you’re out!' A pub has released its list of barred punters... and it’s amazing". The Sun. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
31. "Are you one of the awful people on this pub’s amazing barred list?". Metro. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
32. Mitchinson, John. "Still Barred". Unbound. Retrieved 27 April 2016.

Coordinates: 51°27′09″N 0°06′02″W / 51.4526°N 0.1006°W