Once hailed as the “gateway to Dulwich,” The Grove pub on Lordship Lane was famed for its roast dinners and a sheep named Mint Sauce who, according to regulars, had a taste for Hoffmeister lager.
The pub at 520 Lordship Lane first opened in the 1860s, with the current building dating from the 1920s.
For decades, it stood at a key junction into East Dulwich, offering food, drink and a warm welcome to generations of locals and visitors according to London’s Lost Pubs a new book by Sam Cullen.
In 1972, under the care of landlady Mrs Faulkner, The Grove was named a finalist for Pub of the Year.
She was known for running a tight ship and serving a famously large carvery — one newspaper joked they’d “never seen so much turkey.”
The 1980s saw the pub develop a reputation as a family-friendly venue, complete with rabbits, guinea pigs, and the now-legendary sheep, Mint Sauce, roaming the garden.
By the 1990s, The Grove had become part of the Harvester pub-restaurant chain.
It continued trading until a kitchen fire in 2014, which caused significant damage and led to its closure.
The building has remained shuttered and semi-derelict ever since.
Various proposals have come and gone in the years since, including plans for a care home, but no firm redevelopment has materialised.
The land is owned by the Dulwich Estate, with the pub currently leased to Stonegate Group.
A spokesperson for Stonegate Group said: “Stonegate Group’s lease on The Grove pub in Dulwich will expire in September 2025 and we will maintain security of the site up until this date.
“Any works required on site will be mutually agreed between Stonegate Group and Dulwich Estates. From September 2025, Dulwich Estates will determine the future of the site.”
The Dulwich Estate has not yet announced any definitive plans for what will happen to the building.
However, Southwark Council has expressed support for a pub to remain on the site, recognising its historic and community value.
Today, the only regular use of the space is in the car park, where local skateboarders built a DIY skatepark during the tail end of the first COVID-19 lockdown.
The story of The Grove is now featured in London’s Lost Pubs (£20, Pen and Sword), a new book by Sam Cullen.
The book documents more than 200 pubs across the capital that have closed in recent decades, using personal stories, press cuttings and pub guides to capture their histories.
Cullen said: “As much as it’s sad that these pubs don’t exist any more, I wanted to make sure they are not lost to time by telling their stories, their history, and some of the quirky characters who drank in them.
“Pubs can tell you so much about social and cultural history. The book is a celebration of pubs that existed as a vehicle for looking at aspects of London life.”
Whether The Grove will return as a pub, be redeveloped, or remain closed after 2025 is still uncertain.
What is certain is that the well-loved pub and Mint Sauce the sheep won’t be easily forgotten.
