Britain’s oldest curry house is at risk of closing just shy of its 100th anniversary due to a dispute over a space barely larger than a box room.
Since 1926, Veeraswamy has made its home in Victory House, just a stone’s throw away from Piccadilly Circus. In that time, it has welcomed a number of famous faces through its doors, including Princess Anne, Lord Cameron and King Abdullah of Jordan.
But now, its future is in jeopardy due to a dispute with the Crown Estate, which owns the building the restaurant has occupied for nearly a century.
The Crown Estate informed MW Eat, which owns Veeraswamy along with a handful of other Indian restaurants, that it would not be renewing the lease which expired in June.
The King’s property portfolio says it needs to reclaim the space to carry out a “comprehensive refurbishment” of Victory House, which would take place over 12 months.
This includes the expansion of the ground-floor reception area to serve the offices on the upper floors.
By knocking through into Veeraswamy’s entrance area, the Crown Estate would have an extra 11 square metres for its reception room, according to The Times.
However, without its own entrance, Veeraswamy has said it will not be able to operate and so, as part of the renovation, the space currently occupied with the restaurant will be converted into offices.
Ranjit Mathrani, co-owner of MW Eat, said the news “came out of the blue”, claiming that the previous year the estate had asked if he wanted to take more space in the building. He turned this offer down, he said, as he was unsure if he could consistently fill the extra tables.
Speaking to The Times, Mr Mathrani said: “I think they’ve come to the view that it’s too tiresome having a restaurant there, they want it to be all offices.”
Mr Mathrani claims if the Crown Estate refuses to allow the restaurant to stay until it has found an alternative, then it would have to close down.
He claimed this could have major implications on the business and also cause potential redundancies which could effectively “destroy a major London institution.”
Mr Mathrani asked the estate if they could make an entrance for him elsewhere, but claims it said it would not be possible. An alternative site has not yet been found.
“They don’t care a bugger for history,” Mr Mathrani added. “Had they wanted to, they could’ve easily …put the [office] reception on the first floor. If they’d have asked us to match the [office] rent, I would have.”
A spokeswoman for the Crown Estate said: “We need to carry out a comprehensive refurbishment of Victory House. This includes a major upgrade to the offices and improving the entrance to make it more accessible. Due to the limited options available in this listed building we need to remove the entrance to the restaurant, which means we will not be able to offer Veeraswamy an extension when their lease expires.”
