A landlord hopes to reopen the Hampstead pub where the last woman to be hanged in Britain shot her boyfriend dead.
The Magdala achieved notoriety as the place where Ruth Ellis killed racing driver David Blakely in April 1955. She was executed three months later.
The 150-year-old pub has been shut since 2016 but is now set to be considered by Camden council for a new licence which would allow it to reopen under landlord Dick Morgan.
The 68-year-old said he has dim childhood memories of the killing as his grandfather lived opposite the pub.
“I was there, four years old,” he said. “There was a big commotion when it happened and my dad always used to say he heard the bullets. It was a big thing… people still speak about it.”
He said he has negotiated a 25-year lease with the site’s owner to operate it as a pub and hopes councillors will reinstate its alcohol licence.
In March, a bid by a developer, not associated with Mr Morgan, to replace part of the pub with a two-bed flat was rejected after attracting opposition from locals including comedian Frank Skinner.
Mr Morgan, who runs seven pubs across London, wants the Magdala to reopen this year as a “community” asset. “I have an emotional connection to the area. Both sides of my family come from there and I used to live within 500 yards of the place,” he said.
The application for the pub’s licence is due to be heard on Thursday. It has received 12 objections on grounds of operating hours, and one letter of support.
