Queen Elizabeth’s head suddenly chopped off

Loving Dalston ARCHITECTURE, BUSINESS & DEVELOPMENT, Hackney, NEWS 6 Comments
The last sign to hang from the front of the Queen Elizabeth block of flats, now lying neglected among debris at the building site behind the ex pub

UPDATE May 2017: Restored monarch in Dalston. Press this link for the news 

 

THE SIGN that used to hang from the Queen Elizabeth, the former pub inGraham Road, London E8, immortalised as the model for the Queen Vic in BBC1’s EastEnders, has been dumped in an adjacent property. (See story below or use this hyperlink.)

The adjacent property used to comprise the rear garden of the Queen Liz and, falling victim to what developers call “garden grab”, is now the site of two near-completed two-floor detached houses built in London stock brick. Loving Dalston is told that offers should start at £600,000 each.

The painted sign at the front of the ex pub has been reinstated, so it is possible that the portrait of the monarch who lived from 1533 to 1603 is awaiting restoration and reinstatement. But it does not seem likely, which beggars the question, is Hackney prepared to lose a relic of its recent history?

Loving Dalston will put the question to relevant bodies and report their answers.

David Altheer 120510

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6 thoughts on “Queen Elizabeth’s head suddenly chopped off”

  1. Glad to see the QE pub sign is back in place. Congratulations to whoever did the restoration.

    Though Diederich Wetjen died at this address I don’t think that he was the licensee. I suspect that honour goes to one of my great aunts and her spouse.

    — Tony Wetje

  3. My Grandfather, Diederich, was the licencee of the QE in the mid to late 19th century (research is a work in progress). It’s a shame that it is no longer a pub but full marks to the developer for bringing the name back. I would support preservation of the old sign. I hope that it went ahead.

    David, Hackney archives would probably be interested in your research. I am sorry to say that since the completion of the conversion my repeated efforts to contact the developer have failed. Likewise, my attempt to ask inhabitants about the sign. I wonder if that sign was installed by your grandfather. — Ed.

  4. “another — and fine — bit of Hackney heritage about which its quango owners seem to care not a bit.”

    Which is….?

  5. The otherwise excellent Hackney Museum has been no use, but I hope to see the director next week. I know the picture isn’t great art but the sign is a tiny part of our history. And it need not vanish. I’ve taken my eye off the ball because I have been harrying other outfits around London for help on another — and fine — bit of Hackney heritage about which its quango owners seem to care not a bit.

  6. What’s the latest on the sign? I’d also be very interested in having it preserved in some way.

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