Words by David Jerudason – 30 July 2025

Images by Lily Waite

It’s at least 20 minutes before opening time and a queue has already formed outside The Hope. Although an occasional red London bus zooms past, this isn’t a bustling high street. Here, at the Sutton/Surrey borders, is one of the sleepiest corners of the capital, where daffodils, scorched in the sun, droop lazily as spring turns to summer.

Read the full article here..

“Because times have been so hard, a lot of the fun has disappeared from the industry.”

— Rodger Molyneux, The Hope

“It’s a place where a lot of artists, musicians and people of alternative thinking congregate.”

— Neal Vaughan, Hope Regular

“There’s a very strong sense of community so I quickly made friends when I moved here.”

— John Donnelly, Hope Regular

Read the full article and discover the amazingly generous gesture Nick the beer buyer afforded us when peril struck here..