The Plough, East Sheen's beer garden has reopened after a lengthy disagreement which saw the garden boarded up and most recently see it blocked off by bricks.

A long-running dispute between Fuller's Brewery and the previous tenant of the Richmond pub re-emerged, forcing the garden to close on 30 July.

However that would not last long, as yesterday (11 August) The Plough reopened its beer garden to punters after an agreement was reached with the previous landlord, Tony O'Neil.

Commenting on the garden at The Plough, East Sheen, a spokesperson for Fuller, Smith & Turner said: "We are delighted that the garden has reopened for customer use, and we are having constructive discussions to ensure this is a permanent solution."

78-year-old O'Neil, had his lease come to an end in 2020 after 10 years of running The Plough, but a court battle has seen him claim ownership over the pub's garden from Fuller's.

The Plough, East Sheen, Richmond before it reopened its garden on 11 August (credit: Oliver Monk).

Locals enjoyed what they thought would be their last drinks at The Plough's garden until foreseeable future on 30 July with a farewell party.

One regular to The Plough, Ros Goode, commented: "We're all so pleased that the garden is open again - it makes a huge difference having that great facility on our doorstep." 

Despite taking down the white bricks in front of doors allowing access to the garden, one resident says there was "still a great deal of indignation" over the way O'Neil is handling the situation.

After telling Fuller's it had until 1 August to vacate the garden, O'Neil put up white bricks in front of the pub's doors that lead to the outdoor area to ensure no one used it.

The former landlord of The Plough, East Sheen forced punters out of the garden by 1 August (credit: Cesar Medina).

While the white bricks were up, Goode said: "It's so disappointing that a bitter, personal dispute is affecting the enjoyment of this lovely pub by hundreds, if not thousands, of local residents."

Despite Richmond Council believing the garden outside of The Plough being on a public highway, O'Neil has a possession order for the garden.

A Richmond Council spokesperson previously said: "The Council is aware that an individual has obtained a possession order for the outside land currently used by The Plough as seating for its customers.

"The Council's view is that this land is public highway and any private interest in the land is subject to public highway rights.

"If barriers are put up around the land, the Council will order their removal and will take legal action if necessary."

Fuller's have owned the south London pub since 2010 and leased it Tony O'Neil until 2020 (credit: Oliver Monk).

Fuller's Brewery has owned The Plough, East Sheen for 14 years and have run it as a managed house since 2020.

A spokesperson for the beer company said: "We've invested in the pub and garden and, with a great team under Sonia in place, it's been a delight to see this pub running so well, serving the community of East Sheen. 

"As you can imagine, we are devastated by the court's decision in relation to Mr O'Neill's claim of adverse possession over the pub's garden – which we had firmly believed to be Highways Land.

"However, the judge ruled differently, and Mr O'Neill instructed us to vacate the garden by 1 August 2024 – much to the disappointment of the team, customers and neighbours of the pub.

"We are continuing to pursue every avenue to see if there is a way we can ensure that the local community can continue to enjoy the pub garden – for the long term."

Locals thought the last time they would enjoy The Plough's garden was during its farewell party on 30 July (credit: Oliver Monk).

Back in November 2021, the Richmond pub shut after O'Neil took out most of the fixtures and fittings, including much of the kitchen, which forced the pub to shut.

It reopened in May 2022 after Fuller's refurbished the venue.