EastEnders' 40th celebrations at Queen Vic pub in Maldon
A bust of Queen Victoria has visited a pub that shares its name with EastEnders' iconic local to celebrate the soap's 40th anniversary.James Burrell-Cook has been the landlord of The Queen Victoria in Spital Road in Maldon, Essex, since July 2018. It got its current name in 1855, having been previously called the Victoria Inn.Coincidentally, family members of Lewis Bridgeman, the actor who plays Barney Mitchell in the show, have been regular users of the pub for years as the teenager is from the area.Mr Burrell-Cook said: "We've got a Mitchell, we have three Queen Victoria busts in the pub already, and many of our customers have moved here from London's East End. But I'm not a Pat Butcher, Peggy Mitchell or a Frank."
"Lewis' family come here for drinks or dinner. We were very proud when he got that part," he added.
The 50-year-old said that the local community had been excited about the arrival, and many regulars, former landlords and the pubs darts teams made special plans to see the bust in place."We're very lucky to have such an amazing community pub. This pub is always about the customers and the team. It's all about the people," Mr Burrell-Cook said. Before taking over the site Mr Burrell-Cook had considered buying a different pub in Essex, also called The Queen Victoria, but was drawn to the Maldon venue."It had an amazing feel, It had also had a fair bit of trouble - I like fixing things," he added.
Mr Burrell-Cook admitted he does not watch the soap "religiously" but keeps up to date with various plots.He praised the show for how it represents life behind the bar."Although it might be condensed into a short period of time it actually represents everything in a pub: the conversations, the troubles, the heartbreak all of that," he said.
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