Hackney Wick’s Mason and Company Falls Victim to Change in Season

Mason and Company, a finalist in the 2018 Great British Pub awards, has closed with immediate effect, Friday 7 September. The Hackney Wick craft beer bar on the edge of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park issued a statement on Twitter confirming the closure this morning. The bar was owned and operated by Hackney brewery Five Points, which recently took over The Pembury Tavern.

The statement detailed a familiar struggle: seasonal footfall. The canalside location brought “some very busy weeks” in summer, but “during the majority of the year, outside the peak summer months, the footfall to the overall development and location has not been high enough to sustain a successful business in the longterm.” The Here East development — and the River Lea / River Lea Navigation on which it sits – are home to a plethora of breweries, tap rooms, and restaurants, including Crate’s taproom and pizzeria, music venue / pop-up food space Giant Steps, Grow, Number 90, Howling Hops, Beer Merchants Tap, White Post, and more. The closure itself has echoes of Beavertown’s decision to close Duke’s in 2017, which freed up resources and capital for its eventual sale of a 49.1 percent stake to Heineken.

Mason and Company served beer from around the U.K. and further afield, as well as a rotating selection of beers from its parent brewery; there was also a street food kitchen, Capish, serving Italian-American dishes. Eater has contacted Mason and Company for further details on the closure, including the ramifications for staff and suppliers.