The Magdala, also known as The Magdala Tavern or colloquially as simply The Magy, is a pub on South Hill Park in Hampstead, north London. Named after the British victory in the 1868 Battle of Magdala, it was the site of a notorious murder in 1955.
| The Magdala | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The pub in 2014 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | South Hill Park, Hampstead, London NW3 2SB, England |
| Owner | Ori Calif |
| Website | |
| www | |
History
editThe pub building dates back to at least the mid-19th century, being built in mid-Victorian times to serve the developing neighbourhood south of Hampstead Heath.[1] The building was named after the British victory in the 1868 Battle of Magdala.[2][3]
The pub is included in CAMRA's heritage guide for its interior, which includes a "remarkably intact room from the 1930s" with wood panelling, an Art Deco frieze and a Tudor-style pink marble fireplace.[1]
The pub became infamous as the location outside which Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in the United Kingdom, shot her boyfriend David Blakely in April 1955.[5]
After closing for refurbishment in 2014,[5] The Magdala reopened in January 2015 before closing again in February 2016, with the upper floors converted to flats.[6] It reopened again as a pub and restaurant in May 2021.[7]
The Magdala has been listed as an Asset of Community Value since September 2014.[6] It is owned by Ori Calif.[8]
See also
edit- List of assets of community value
- Carlton Tavern (owned by same landlord)
References
edit- ^ a b "Magdala". Pub Heritage: Historic pub interiors. CAMRA. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ Pankhurst, Richard (8 November 1981). "Ethiopian place-names in Britain". The Local Historian. 14 (8). (British Association for Local History): 468.
- ^ Christopher Wade (1973), More streets of Hampstead, Camden History Society, p. 20,
The first building in this street was The Magdala Tavern, which was already there by 1868.
- ^ "The Telegraph: Were the 'bullet holes' marking Ruth Ellis's pub murder really done with a drill by a canny landlady?". Retrieved 22 June 2023
- ^ a b Foot, Tom (25 June 2014). "SOLD: the pub where Ruth Ellis shot her lover". Camden New Journal. New Journal Enterprises Ltd. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
- ^ a b Banks, Emily (12 February 2016). "Famous Ruth Ellis murder pub The Magdala shuts its doors". The Hampstead & Highgate Express. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ^ Boniface, Michael (17 May 2021). "The Magdala returns as pubs and restaurants reopen indoors on May 17 the pub in South Hill Park – closed since 2014". The Hampstead & Highgate Express. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ^ "The Magdala pub: Landlord keen to 'welcome customers new and old'". Ham & High. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
External links
edit
Media related to The Magdala, Hampstead at Wikimedia Commons- Official website
