Gordon Ramsay has successfully secured a High Court order to reclaim his £13m pub in Regent's Park - The York and Albany - after it was occupied by squatters.
On Tuesday 16 April, the squatters were served papers by the celebrity chef, putting a stop to their plans to turn the building into an art cafe. Enforcement officers could reclaim the pub within the next few days, but it remains unclear if the squatters are still occupying the building.
Ramsay initially called police on 10 April when news first broke that the Grade-II listed building had been occupied by six squatters. The Metropolitan police explained that it would not intervene because this was a ‘civil matter’.
A notice was posted on 10 April on the door of the former fine dining institution outlining the ‘legal rights’ of the squatters. Signed by ‘the occupiers', the note claims that since the group did not take over a residential building, they were acting legally. The note also claimed they would take legal action against anyone who tried to go inside, reading, ‘if you attempt to enter by violence or by threatening violence we will prosecute you.’
The squatters put out a statement outlining their intentions for the ‘cafe’, which they said would be an open space for the ‘people of Camden who have been the victims of gentrification.’
![camden art cafe]()
Providing free food and clothes, the makeshift community centre was only open for a few days. Through social media posts, they called for people to join them in the former gastropub to create and showcase their art, but the movement was brought to a halt when Ramsay and law firm Harbottle & Lewis issued the group papers and applied for a High Court order, which has now been granted.
The property was originally bought by film actor and director Gary Love, who leased the property to Ramsay on a 25-year-long contract for £640,000 per year. The celebrity chef was entangled in a public dispute regarding this deal since the pub closed down in March 2024.
In other news, a giant kitchen 'cube' is coming to West London, offering spaces for hundreds of ghost kitchens aimed at food delivery services.