King Street Pub Calls Time After 300 Years

---

The Hammersmith Ram has quickly been converted into a discount store

A discount store is not operating from the former pub's premises

August 24, 2026

The Hammersmith Ram has poured its final pint, bringing an end to more than 300 years of pub-keeping at 81 King Street and marking the second closure on the street in just twelve months. Young’s confirmed the shutdown on 26 July, saying that after “a careful review” it had decided to close the business permanently.

For many in Hammersmith, the Ram was more than a pub. It was a familiar meeting place opposite the Livat shopping centre, known for its Sunday Irish music sessions, hearty roasts, Tuesday night quizzes and a tucked-away beer garden that regulars guarded like a secret. It survived the pandemic and enjoyed a brief surge during the World Cup, but trade had dipped in recent months.

Its history stretches back to the 18th century, when the site was a coaching inn called The Great Angel, serving travellers heading in and out of London. By 1786 it had become the Angel Inn, before being rebuilt in 1930. Young’s took it over in 1966, renaming it The Builders Arms after closing another nearby pub of the same name. In 1996 it became The Hammersmith Ram, adopting the brewery’s emblem and settling into its final identity.

The closure follows last summer’s loss of the Plough & Harrow, the large pub beneath the Holiday Inn hotel, raising concerns about the future of traditional pubs along King Street. Yet the Ram’s departure has also ushered in a new chapter. The freehold has been bought by Hammersmith Realty Ltd, part of the Arora Family’s Ealing-based real estate group, which has reopened the premises as a homeware shop selling furniture, lamps and decorative accessories.

The Hammersmith Ram before closure

The company described the purchase as “a strategic investment” and said it represented confidence in Hammersmith’s future. Arora now owns 87 shops, supermarkets and offices across west London, including a mini-market in North End Road.

The pub’s premises is now operating as a Discount Store. It is not clear at this stage whether this means that the venue will not host a pub again. Normally a change of use is required at a property with permission to act as a pub and permission would not be granted for another use unless it had been demonstrated that it was no longer viable.

Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site.