The York & Albany pub and restaurant, which became famous for being run by chef Gordon Ramsay, was once in the hands of a group of anarchist "squatters". But they have already left the space, after being evicted following a lawsuit filed by Ramsay's lawyers.
The "squatters" have settled into the building, where they are sleeping and living, setting up a communal kitchen and an "autonomous café" under the name "Camden Art Cafe" in the "gastro-pub" which is located near Regent's Park, in the Camden area of London.
"We intend to open our doors regularly to anyone and everyone, especially the people of Camden who have fallen victim to gentrification and parasitic projects" like Ramsay's pub, the "occupiers" claimed in an Instagram post.
Weoffer free food and drinks and a space to exhibit your art without the ridiculous bureaucratic galleries that require people to jump over others. We believe that all of us and our art deserve dignity," they added in the same text.
"At a time when Camden Market has been bought by a billionaire and many long-standing local businesses are being evicted from their units, it is even more important that we all unite in all the forms of resistance we know and can," they also stressed.
The "occupiers" even organized art sessions open to the community at the site, as can be seen in images shared on Instagram, with the pub full of people, with people painting.
They also asked for donations of food and clothes to maintain the "free shop" they have set up.
Property in the middle of a legal battle
The pub had been put up for sale in December 2023 for 13 million pounds (over 15 million euros) as part of a legal battle between Gordon Ramsay and the owner of the property dating back to 1826, film director Gary Love.
The chef leased the space for 25 years, with an annual rent of 640,000 pounds (almost 750,000 euros), as The Independent reports, turning it into a restaurant and a boutique hotel.
Barney Davis
The space was closed to the public and Ramsay has since signed a new multi-million pound lease handing the pub over to partners, as Metro notes.
Josie Copson
The "occupiers" lamented that the Camden area has "one of the greatest disparities of wealth in London", and noted that "it seems appropriate to them that properties worth 13 million pounds, which most locals would never be able to afford to visit, should be open to all".
Occupying non-residential property is not a crime
Occupying a non-residential property without the owner's permission is not a crime in the UK, but the police can intervene if crimes are committed, such as theft or damaging the property.
However, without any crimes being involved, squatters can apply to become the registered owners of a property if they have occupied it continuously for 10 years, acted as owners during that period and have not previously received permission from the owner to live there.
Gordon Ramsay even called the police to remove the "squatters" from the site, but they were unsuccessful, with a London Metropolitan Police source quoted by The Independent stressing that it was "a civil matter".
