The ‘lost’ London pub hiding secrets of daring £6,000,000 armed heist

If walls could talk, the Fox successful Hackney would person rather a story to tell. 

A backmost country astatine the East End pub was allegedly utilized by a ruthless pack readying 1 of Britain’s biggest armed robberies — the £6 cardinal Security Express robbery successful Shoreditch. 

Banknotes from the 1983 heist are past thought to person been stashed astatine the licensed premises before being moved connected to different location. 

At the time, the country pub was tenanted by erstwhile equipped robber Clifford Saxe, who decided to instrumentality aboriginal status successful the Costa Del Sol.  

The loot from the Security Express HQ, which was known arsenic ‘Fort Knox’, consisted of untraceable slope notes weighing 5 tonnes.

Saxe and his accomplices are alleged to person planned the heist from the backmost country astatine the Kingsland Road haunt and astatine slightest immoderate of the wealth is said to person been counted determination aft the raid.  

There’s suspicion that a concealed compartment astatine the royal reddish pub was utilized to conceal the spoils, according to writer Sam Cullen.  

Only £2 cardinal of the currency was ever recovered. 

The publican was 1 of Scotland Yard’s astir wanted men and portion of the ‘Famous Five’ — besides including Freddie Foreman, John Mason, Ronald Everet and Ronnie Knight — who fled to Spain. 

Saxe, who ever denied immoderate portion successful the crime, died successful 2002 portion awaiting extradition. He was aged successful his 70s.

Cullen has charted the Fox’s murky history on with the affluent and divers backstories of much than 200 different ‘lost pubs’ successful London.  

‘In the 80s the Fox had a landlord who seemingly was progressive successful the Security Express robbery,’ Cullen said. ‘After the robbery helium precise co-incidentally retired to Spain portion the constabulary were engaged trying to find retired what connected Earth had happened to this money.  

‘When they went to the pub the pursuing year, they recovered a mendacious wall, broke done it and discovered a concealed compartment wherever they thought it had been hidden. It smelt of brew and mildew.

‘Interestingly, the constabulary didn’t needfully accidental whether thing had been recovered there, but erstwhile they past recovered immoderate of the banknotes from the heist, they smelt the aforesaid arsenic that country truthful they thought the loot indispensable person been stored successful the pub.’  

The Fox re-launched arsenic a fashionable trade brew pub successful February 2012, successful keeping with the changing quality of the Hackney-Shoreditch area, with a extortion terrace, photobooth and brew vending machine.  

Six years aboriginal it was closed and boarded up successful enactment with the freeholder’s volition to renovate the gathering and crook the apical level into flats.

At present, the bottommost level is bare with the frontage obscured by hoardings and graffiti. 

The Fox is presently being advertised by the Wellington Pub Company, which states that the premises requires ‘fit-out/investment’ connected a 20-year, escaped of necktie lease.

Saxe’s erstwhile haunt is present among the colourful establishments featured by Cullen successful his caller book, London’s Lost Pubs. 

Others astir the superior see the Thomas A Becket, a celebrated boxing pub wherever Muhammad Ali once visited, the Old King Lud, where Dale Winton was erstwhile a DJ, and The Camden Falcon, wherever Coldplay played 1 of their archetypal gigs. 

Outside London, the arguable saga of the Crooked House successful the Black Country is different illustration of a agelong past being mislaid on with bricks and mortar.  

Pubs are being mislaid astatine an alarming rate, with the Campaign for Real Ale having antecedently warned of much than 1,000 closures past twelvemonth — 200 much than 2023.

However Cullen feels that licensed premises person much of a ‘fighting chance’ present than compared to erstwhile years. 

‘There are much ways to prevention pubs present past determination was, accidental 15 years ago,’ helium said.  

‘Councils tin springiness pubs listed presumption and they tin beryllium nominated arsenic assets of assemblage value, which gives them a warring chance.

‘There are immoderate bully stories successful London, including one in Tottenham called the Antwerp Arms, which was saved from closure by the community.  

‘It does assistance if a pub is successful a well-heeled assemblage which tin navigate the process.  

‘It’s tricky if the idiosyncratic who owns a pub doesn’t privation to play ball, but successful wide determination is much that tin beryllium done than antecedently arsenic determination are astatine slightest things communities tin combat backmost with now.’ 

Cullen, from Barnes successful south-west London, is not penning disconnected pubs similar the Fox adjacent erstwhile they person been boarded up for galore years. 

‘Providing the gathering hasn’t been demolished you ne'er know,’ helium said.  

‘It’s a shame to locomotion past the Fox wherever the owners of the trade brew pub made a spell of it for galore years until it unopen down comparatively recently, but it could emergence from the ashes.  

‘I’d similar idiosyncratic to beryllium speechmaking astir a pub that’s been unopen for galore years successful the pub erstwhile it’s reopened.

‘I person nary occupation with the publication being retired of day due to the fact that past they’ll cognize astir the conflict and however it was overcome.’ 

The Londoner hopes his publication volition item the relation pubs tin play successful communities — and wherefore those that stay should beryllium preserved. 

‘I’ve ever been fascinated with pubs, not conscionable due to the fact that they’re a large spot to conscionable radical and socialise but due to the fact that they archer america truthful overmuch astir a spot and its history,’ helium said. 

‘We’re fortunate successful Britain to person truthful galore bully pubs and the intent of the publication was to look backmost fondly and marque definite the implicit 200 pubs and bars and the characters, beryllium they celebrated oregon conscionable locals, are not forgotten.

‘I conscionable wanted to marque definite they are kept successful the representation and not forgotten arsenic good arsenic to service a reminder of the places and radical we person now.’ 

*London’s Lost Pubs is disposable present connected White Owl Books

Do you person a communicative you would similar to share? Contact josh.layton@metro.co.uk

MORE: ‘It gets maine retired of the house’: Pensioner’s ‘hobby’ sees him sojourn 900 Wetherspoons

MORE: Securitas heist ‘inside man’ inactive hasn’t paid a penny backmost of £250,000 spoils

MORE: Two historical pubs minutes isolated telephone clip aft ‘heartbreak’ of lockdowns