The end of the world for the World's End?

Dear Londoners — Groggy from my Monday morning commute and trying to draw out drinking my latte (£5! the horror, the horror!) for the maximum length of time possible, I was buoyed to sit down at my desk at Londoner HQ and see some kind words for this weekend's excellent story by Rosie Swash on the mystery of South Bank's "unknown husband" from reader Mark:

This is the kind of story that makes my subscription worth while. So many million stories are out there just waiting to be told, I’m glad you found this one.

It's the kind of comment that makes it all worthwhile — and one that makes Mondays bearable — so thank you so much for the readers who chime in with feedback like this. We're always grateful. And if you haven't already, then read the piece (and find out the key to the mystery) here. If you enjoy it, when not leave a comment too?

We were also struck by words from our colleague, investigations editor Cameron Barr, who wrote — in typically elegant fashion — about the advice he'd given to a reporter here at The Londoner, shortly before hearing about the FBI’s search of the home of reporter Hannah Natanson, who was a colleague of Cameron's when he worked as managing editor at the Washington Post. "Reporters everywhere, not just in obviously anti-democratic states, now must do their work in circumstances of ever-increasing peril," he warns. It's a stark message, but one absolutely worth reading.

Now, for your Monday briefing, which features a north London pub that may be on the outs due to a single noise complaint, Islington council's spat with Lime and an exquisite yet under-the-radar Italian restaurant. We've also rejigged the format of our briefing slightly (it is a new year, after all), so let us know in the comments what you think.

Exclusive: The World’s End in Finsbury Park is getting its license reviewed after a single neighbour complained

Top line: One of north London’s most well-known pubs is getting its hours slashed and being banned from airing football matches after a single local resident submitted noise complaints, The Londoner can exclusively reveal.

Background: The World’s End in Finsbury Park is one of the area's most iconic pubs, with its historic interiors and huge screens making it a regular on “best pubs to watch football in London” lists. The pub also does live music and is a matchday favourite for Arsenal fans heading to the nearby Emirates. But that may now all be under threat. 

What's the beef?: In recent days, we’ve discovered that visitors to the pub have been handed a letter from the owners asking for support after a single noise complaint to the council has left the venue facing a licensing review. While the review is unlikely to shutter the pub outright, it will see a series of conditions being added to the pub’s licence that would likely make the pub unviable: an 11pm close, no outside drinking and eating, and — crucially — a ban on live music and airing football. 

The exact nature of the noise complaint made by the solo neighbour has not yet been revealed, but we understand more details are set to be shared in the week before their case is heard by Islington council’s licensing subcommittee (on 11 February).

What did the council say: Officials confirmed that the application for a license review was submitted by an individual local resident, but that they were unable to share more specific information until closer to the date of the review. “Islington Council, like any other licensing authority, has a legal duty to ensure all licensed premises adhere to the conditions of their licence,” they added. “We aim to balance the interests of businesses with those of residents who may be affected by the activities of those businesses.”

Not the first time: This is far from the first battle over noise complaints in London. We’ve previously documented how hundreds of the capital’s iconic nightlife venues have seen their licences reviewed after petty noise complaints — including one pub that faced closure after “faint giggles” from patrons annoyed a single local resident.

Noise complaints are killing London’s pubs

We mapped the dozens of pubs forced to shut early or that faced closure last year due to everything from “faint giggles” to “constant honking” from cars.

The LondonerAndrew Kersley

In what is a pretty damning summary of the kind of challenges faced by London pubs, this isn’t even the first threat faced by the World’s End. Back in October, we investigated a developer which had shut down dozens of pubs across the capital (while claiming to save them). Others in the portfolio of Linea Homes, which once included the World’s End, survived closure and redevelopment by the skin of their teeth.

Want to help The Londoner?

The secret to our best stories? You. Often, that’s ideas and tips for pieces (please comment below or email editor@the-londoner.co.uk to send those in!). But sometimes we know that the rich experiences of our readers can help to make existing articles we’re working on even better. Do let us know if you can help with the below:

• Are you from Walthamstow, or do you know someone who does? We’re trying to speak to people who attended Highams Park School in the 1980s or work in Waltham Forest’s social services department for a sensitive and important investigation. Please get in touch with Andrew on andrew@the-londoner.co.uk.
• Do you work at ZSL or London Zoo? We’re looking to speak anonymously to staff — reach out to andrew@the-londoner.co.uk if you fit the bill.
• Do you work in property development in west London? Please reach out to peter@the-londoner.co.uk if you have insights into energy constraints on housebuilding projects.

🛏️ Strange bedfellows? Reform courts left-wing former Labour MP

In all the frenzy around Reform defections by Robert Jenrick and Romford MP Andrew Rosindell, nobody seems to have noticed a much more bizarre saga that seems to be quietly playing out in Kensington. The Londoner spotted that former Labour MP and socialist councillor Emma Dent Coad jokingly shared on her blog a strangely effusive letter she had just received from the local Reform party branch trying to court her to join. The writer even calls her a “gem” and a “legendary woman”, but also seems completely unaware of the rather large political gap between Coad and Reform.

🚨 Vincent Chan charged with more child sexual offences

Late last year, we covered the trial of Vincent Chan, who sexually abused multiple children in the nursery where he worked in West Hampstead. We dug into the workings of Bright Horizons, the early years giant that ran the nursery where Chan worked, and discovered a history of serious and widespread safeguarding failures at its other sites in London. 

Having pleaded guilty, Chan is due to be sentenced for the above crimes — which include nine sexual assaults, 11 counts of taking indecent photos, and six of making indecent images of children, as well as offences relating to more than 25,000 indecent images of children — on 23 January. But last week, it was announced that he has also been charged with 15 more offences which predate these (and which did not take place at the nursery), which relate to possession of indecent images of children and acts of outraging public decency. The police investigation is ongoing.

🏊 Pack your Speedo — we’re heading to the Old Kent Road

The potential regeneration of the Old Kent Road has been teased for some time now, with the much-dreamed-about Bakerloo line extension still just out of reach until central government gives TfL the circa £9bn needed for the project (our fingers remain crossed). Now, a new, slightly less expensive plan has been developed to liven up the area, with Southwark council unveiling proposals to turn an abandoned gas works into a wild swimming pond. 

The project would see a historic gas works just north of Peckham divided in two, with a cold water swimming pool on one side and a natural reed-based filtration system on the other. But, according to Southwark News, it’s still at an early stage — development won’t even start until 2027 or 2028 — so for now south east London’s open water enthusiasts will still need to trek to Brockwell Lido.

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🚲 Islington council at the ‘end of their tether’ with Lime

For the past few years, e-bike operator Lime has asserted their dominance in the capital — with about 50,000 bikes in 17 boroughs, they’re easily the largest company in the market. (Read our piece on just how they did that here.)

How Lime squeezed out the Santander bike

“Boris Bikes” were supposed to be London’s cycling future. This is how a private company supplanted them.

The LondonerAndrew Kersley

But storm clouds are gathering on the horizon for the California-based tech company, which last year revealed ruthless expansion plans and a desire to operate in every area of the capital. Following Hounslow’s decision last August to award contracts to rivals Forest and Voi, meaning that Lime’s bikes couldn’t be ridden or parked in the borough, Islington may follow suit. At the moment, the north London council are engaged in fraught negotiations with the company, with insiders at the former telling the Camden New Journal that they’re “at the end of our tether… [Lime have] consistently been evasive and dishonest. This isn’t a game of brinkmanship and they don’t seem to realise we can exist without them.”

As it stands, there’s a real likelihood that the bike provider may not be allowed to renew their contract. Dockless e-bike companies like Lime have led to a tidal wave of complaints from residents in boroughs like Islington, with locals arguing that they obstruct pavements and cause disturbances at night.

Quick hits

🚨 Romford MP Andrew Rosindell defects to Reform from the Tories.
🌊 Rejoice: the Thames is significantly less toxic, says a new report.
🍺 An elegy to Ye Olde Swiss Cottage pub by a former staff member.

In case you missed it…

• 20 years ago, a mysterious memorial addressed to “the unknown husband” appeared on a bench on the South Bank. The council had no record of it and local businesses had no idea where it came from. For our weekend read, we cracked the mystery.
• In a small room in Vauxhall, four friends invite strangers to talk about dying. On Thursday, we spoke to the volunteers running one of London’s death cafes.
• We also formally introduced our newest hire — Peter Carlyon — to the world. Peter wrote about why he joined The Londoner and his love for this city in his writers’ edition.

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Wining and dining

With endless offerings and non-stop openings, we all know that deciding where to eat and drink in the capital can be fraught. We want to make it easy — so every week we’ll give you our insider guide to the city’s best spots. 

One perfect meal: There are some things in life which can only be remedied by a heaving plate of pasta, and few places in the capital serve it up better than Little Sardegna in Highbury. It’s an intimate, local affair, with chequered tablecloths and old school wooden seating — perfect for a casual date night or simply catching up with old friends. The pork ragu is a must, but do also consider the specials board, which offers up a tantalising spread of Sardinian dishes that change with the seasons. When I went last year, the taglioni marcello with crab meat, lemon and chilli was a standout. It’s one of those dining experiences where you find yourself sitting contentedly long after finishing your meal, already reminiscing about the food currently being digested, another round of limencellos mysteriously finding their way to the table. 

One perfect drink: Sometimes going out in this city is less about finding somewhere perfect; sometimes you just need to go somewhere different. I’m sure the Cavendish Arms has been described as being many things in its life, but one sin it could never be accused of is being boring. Behind its non-descript, flat-roofed exterior, there’s an eclectic interior that seems to be inspired in equal part by the Palace of Versailles, a seedy burlesque and the idea of never saying no to any design idea put to you. This isn’t a quiet pint with some mates pub; it’s famous for its karaoke, comedy and burlesque shows more than anything else. More than anything else, I love that it does all this while being sat in Nine Elms, a land of glossy, homogenous newbuilds.

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Our favourite reads

How a Billionaire Owner Brought Turmoil and Trouble to Sotheby’s — Sam Knight, The New Yorker

In this long read from August last year, Knight tells the story of Patrick Drahi’s tumultuous reign over Sotheby’s auction house. Since the telecommunications billionaire took over in 2019, the legendary auctioneer house — founded in London in 1744 — has suffered: reporting an 88% fall in earnings in 2024 alone, a year in which Drahi laid off more than 100 staff. 2025 brought about a slight change of fortunes, and we eagerly await to see what 2026 brings.

England’s home grown caliphate and me — Tam Hussein, Dispatch

Once dubbed “the Tottenham Ayatollah” by the British tabloids, Omar Bakri founded the islamist group al-Muhajiroun in a north London council flat in 1996. 30 years on, Tam Hussein examines the group’s legacy. In this sensitive piece from Dispatch, Hussein even reflects on his own experience as a young undergraduate student at Queen Mary University, being courted by another Islamist movement, Hizb-ut Tahrir.

To Do List

1. If Dry Jan hasn’t felt quite enough of a detox for you, maybe getting icing yourself in a plunge pool might hit the spot better. Good news, then: a new festival celebrating serenity has arrived upon our fair capital. The Equanimity Festival runs in Kings Cross from 6 January to 31 March. Visitors will find saunas, sound healing, yoga and breathwork sessions, amidst a range of immersive workshops held at a tepee in Corbett’s square.

2. One of London’s most exciting art events of the year is set to commence this weekend: Condo 2026. It’s a city-wide exhibition in which 50 contemporary art galleries from around the world come together to showcase their work in 27 venues around the capital. As a fun bonus, this year’s programme is accompanied by a great A–Z of selections from Isaac Rangaswami, the creator of the beloved Caffs Not Cafes, which highlights esoteric spots around the capital (think everything from old-school Chinatown haunts to an “ancient stone tablet").

From the archive

American football is undoubtedly becoming big business in London. But while it may seem like a modern phenomenon to witness thousands of fans descend upon the city, there is precedent: in 1981, 2,000 fans packed into Leicester Square’s Odeon cinema to watch the Superbowl XV between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Oakland Raiders, broadcast live from New Orleans. “This is the greatest sport… since Christ!”, said one excited attendant. Just two years later, Wembley held the first professional American Football game on UK soil. You can find the BBC’s horrified coverage of that event here.