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From the
https://www.newsshopper.co.uk 1st July 2026, By Emily Davison.
The Bird In Hand: The Bromley Common pub up for sale for £1.1m
A Bromley Common pub with more than 150 years of history is up for
sale.
The Bird in Hand, at 62 Gravel Road, is on the market for offers in
excess of £1,100,000 on Rightmove Commercial, marketed by Savills.
Situated on a 0.168-acre site at the junction of Gravel Road and
Cross Road, the pub is being sold as an investment opportunity and
will continue trading as normal during the sales process.
The property is let to a private individual on a 20-year lease which
began in October 2023 and runs until October 2043. It has been on
the market for several months.
The current rent is £82,800 per year, with annual RPI-linked
increases and five-yearly open market rent reviews built into the
agreement.
The two-storey detached building is split across three levels,
including a cellar and storage space in the basement. Inside, the
ground floor features an open-plan bar with seating for around 55
customers, alongside a trade kitchen, beer store and customer
toilets.
Upstairs is a traditional landlord's flat comprising two bedrooms, a
study, kitchen, bathroom and sitting room. Outside, the pub benefits
from a beer garden with seating for around 55 people and a smaller
rear customer area.
The pub's roots can be traced back to at least 1871, when census
records show it operating as the Bird in Hand under publican Isaac
Dodd, a Surrey-born beer retailer, coal dealer and farmer.
Dodd ran the business alongside his farming and coal-dealing
activities until his death in 1892, when the pub was taken over by
his widow, Frances Harris Dodd, who continued running it into the
early 1900s.
The licence was later passed to his son, Alfred Dodd, who was
recorded in the 1911 Census as a farmer and licensed victualler. The
Bird in Hand remained in the Dodd family's hands for decades before
later licensees included John Rump in 1930 and Henry Hardyin 1938.
Interestingly, the pub was historically listed at 5 Gravel Road
rather than its modern address of 62 Gravel Road. The change was
enforced because the road was re-numbered rather than the building
re-locating.
The pub sits within the Bromley, Hayes and Keston Commons
Conservation Area, helping preserve the character of the surrounding
neighbourhood and recognising its historic significance within the
area.
The Bird in Hand has also experienced a revival in recent years.
After closing in early 2023, the pub underwent a substantial
refurbishment before re-opening under new management on October 27,
2023.
Today, the free house hosts live music, events and community
gatherings, continuing a legacy that has made it a fixture of
Bromley Common for around 155 years. |
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