The regeneration proposals for Minavil House and the former Midland Bank/The Plough pub sites at Alperton have attracted opposition LINK so that may explain why a consultation about the future of The Boat (formerly The Pleasure Boat) 346 Ealing Road has been very low profile to say the least.
Rumour has it that this site is destined to be more flats and it is unclear whether like The Plough developers will want to retain some kind of public house or community facility. Few would deny that the pub is run down at present (see below) but it has historic interest as the starting point for pleasure cruises along the Grand Union Canal in the 1850s.
The consultation is at Peppermint Point (previously Middlesex House) which is between Sainsbury's and the canal.
Wednesday September 20th 2.30pm-8pm at Brent Play Association, Peppermint Point
This is what the website InsideTrack had to say about The Boat in 2014:
The area around Alperton Station is fairly industrial, with lots of small factory type units on the surrounding roads. The Pleasure Boat is a short walk along Ealing Road. If you head towards the big green tower block, you can’t miss it!But maybe there is a queue of developers...
I think perhaps the best way to describe The Pleasure Boat is forlorn. The interior of the pub is rather non-descript and bleak, with little or no decorations on the white walls where the paint has started to peel and discolour in places. The seating is also suitably basic and weathered. The pub was empty when we arrived, adding to the air of desolation. It only opens three days a week, Thursdays to Saturdays from 6pm onwards, further suggesting this is not a pub in the best of health.
It also advertises a garden beside the Grand Union canal. Surrounded by broken tables and with weeds threatening to invade the patio area, this too has seen better days. Oddly enough, an area of it now seems to have been given over to a hand car wash – a business you assume is open more frequently than the pub.
At the front of the pub there is another outside seating area, so we chose to go there. It backs onto a rather busy road so it isn’t the nicest spot either. There was no ale available so from the limited selection available, I went for a Budweiser. A few people had arrived by the time we left so it wasn’t completely deserted, it still didn’t suggest the Disco, which was starting at 8pm, would be busy in any way.
With its limited opening hours and small clientele, I wouldn’t bet on the Pleasure Boat still being open by the time I finish this blog. And while it pains me to see any pub close, this is clearly one that has run aground and in need of some fresh ideas and direction. Sadly its position on the edge of a main road and surrounded by industrial parks makes me feel there won’t be a queue of people lining up to take it on.