A former tea house in Henley is celebrating 20 years as an independent late-night venue.

Laurence Wilson, 53, launched Magoos bar in Hart Street in 2004 and admits he did not expect it to have lasted even half that time.

Initially, he was faced with opposition from neighbours who didn’t take to the idea of living near a bar but, over time, he feels he has changed people’s minds and built its reputation as a valued community space.

The venue was previously home to the Old Rope Walk, a long-established tea house run by David Wells and, despite already operating a bar under the same name in Berkhamsted since 1999, Mr Wilson was taken in by the building and its history, which dates back to 1410.

He said: “This building has been here for more than 600 years. The energy of the building really feeds into people’s psyche when they’re in here because it has been a meeting place since the beginning. When I found this building, with its old beams, the cosines of it kind of called out to me.”

He approached Mr Wells with the idea of securing a lease but was knocked back because he had wanted to sell the building instead. He persisted and eventually struck a deal and in 2015 bought it outright.

Mr Wilson said: “We opened in January 2004 as an English restaurant because at that time we didn’t have a licence to run it as a bar. The intention was always to put in a bar but initially I didn’t have the funds so we just opened it as a restaurant. To open in Henley in the middle of winter was a struggle but by April we had the bar licence and that was transformative.

“Initally, we were only allowed to open until 11pm but at that time there were already nightclubs in town so that was something we didn’t need to be or want to be. At that time I was in the kitchen making full English breakfasts, which we were really known for. For years afterwards, I would have people who were attending the royal regatta coming back for breakfast and I had to say we had stopped doing that.”

Mr Wilson said he had to change the business offering as the demand for food slowed with the increase in the number of cafes opening up in the high street. He said: “The coffee shops — Starbucks, Costa Caffé Nero, and the others, all started turning up and the cafe scene got even bigger.

We fought for it for a little bit, tried to keep it up and keep up the early trade but, in the end, we just decided there’s no point in fighting against it. Offering food became even more challenging so we decided to just concentrate on the late nights.”

He says shifting the focus more towards entertainment captured the imagination of people and inviting live music acts to perform grew the appeal of the bar.

Mr Wilson said: “It was that interest in the music and the relationship with the music that all the locals responded to and that vibe meant Magoo’s evolved into a later night venue. From 2004 to 2012 Magoos became synonymous with live music and even an unsigned Ed Sheeran passed through. At that time any musician or customer had to make do with a small bit of space we had in the front bar and had to squeeze in.

“Then we found that other late-night venues were closing, such as the White Lotus nightclub and Latinos, which also showed the people of Henley clearly need a place to go and a place for the community.”

So in 2012, he was successful in extending the bar’s licence to run until 2am which coincided with the creation of “The Vault” at the back of the building. The extension effectively doubled the footprint and made space for an additional bar, tables and chairs as well as a dance floor and a bigger space for performers.

Mr Wilson said he has enjoyed watching a number of local musicians perform at Magoos over the years, including John James Newman, Steve Jones, Jamie Bruce and Joe and Megan Henwood, who have all made music and had success.

He also ran a number of music sessions for younger teenagers called “Acoustic at Magoos”, which included a battle of the bands competition, and would stage auditions and rehearsals for the Music on the Meadows event that was previously held in Mill Meadows.

Mr Wilson said the first 10 years wasn’t easy as he had to convince neighbours that the bar was a force for good. He said “It was difficult at the beginning with people trying to shut us down and writing all kinds of letters at a time when we were trying to grow a business, so that was tough. But luckily the police and the local councils knew we were doing everything we could to do the right thing and be a good neighbour.

He said that running it as a family business and supporting the community has helped change people’s perceptions of it. His daughter Hollie, 24, is the bar’s development manager, and his son Oscar, 23, is part of the bar team.

Mr Wilson said that the longevity of the bar was down not only to the relationships he had built with customers but also with the local authorities and law enforcement.

He said: “It’s the longest time I’ve ever spent in any town. I probably thought I’d do 10 years here and then move on but no, the town has ended up embracing us and so we’re still here. We also have a great relationship with the council with respect to licensing and the police and have procedures when it comes to drunkenness, which the staff are fully aware of.

“But it is very much a family environment these days as my son and daughter both work here and we are always watching people when they are drinking and making sure we’re taking care of them.”

Mr Wilson is proud of the reputation of the business and the impact it has had on people’s lives and is now seeing married couples return who had met there years previously. He said: “I do get a sense of achievement having watched generations of young people grow up and come back. From being old enough to get in, to then move on and going to university, have kids and come here as older people.

“There have been lots of families where the mums and dads have actually met here and they come back for anniversaries and say ‘we met here, we’ve got kids, we’re married’.

“That’s when you feel like you’re now more than just a bar, you’re making memories, you’re making a community and that’s how I have always felt about it, this is a focal point for the community where people can come and enjoy themselves.”

Miss Wilson, who studied at The Henley College, decided to work at the bar after completing a degree in ancient history at the University of Southampton.

She said that she had fond memories of growing up around Magoos.

Miss Wilson said: “When I was about five or six I got my first ever tip because I carried a J2O down to a garden for this couple. Growing up, it was just really fun. There was that family vibe and most of the old staff from the beginning babysat us.

“I remember walking down the street with my dad as a kid and it felt like every five seconds someone was saying ‘Laurence, Laurence’. It used to take us 20 minutes to get down the road to Sainsbury’s.”

Mr Wilson said that the bar’s successes would not have come without the help of his bar staff which includes long-standing bar manager Sam Laverty. He also thanks the town for supporting Magoos through the pandemic when he started delivering takeaway pizzas in order to stay open.

Mr Wilson said he is taken aback by the longevity of Magoos. He said: “I do have feelings of overwhelming sometimes when it’s still going after all these years. Over the years I thought about doing another Magoos and moving one to Marlow or Wallingford but life’s not about that for me.
“Life’s about just contributing to the community, being creative at all times, having fun and really connecting with family and friends.”

To celebrate its 20th anniversary back in September, Magoos held a very successful “Roaring Twenties” themed party, a “Guilty Pleasures” club night and a charity Casino Royale night, raising money in aid of Riverside Counselling.