Twickenham residents are joining forces to save a beloved pub that is at risk of closing down.
The Rifleman, in West Twickenham, is a social hub for the Richmond community and the only pub in the area that is home to live Roots music, a genre that combines folk, rock and bluegrass into an electric experience.
Twickenham Brewery have owned the establishment since 2019, however they entered discussions at the end of 2025 to part ways with the Rifleman.
Residents have speculated they will focus on efforts to expand their locally brewed drinks to other pubs in the area.
Chris Tulloch, the organising force behind the fundraiser, also acts as the musical middleman by selecting the weekly line up to perform both at the pub and the fundraising concert.
The goal of the concert for both Tulloch and the wider community committee is to transform the space into a “a social centre”, becoming “what pubs used to be”.
Tulloch pitched the Exchange, a large community venue in Twickenham, as the stage for the concert. A place that he described was like pitching “Carnegie Mellon”. The event sold out in a matter of days, attracting acts from as far away the Midlands.
David McGeathie – a local Estate Agent – has put his name behind the fundraiser as the main sponsor. McGeathie regularly performs at the pub during their live music nights.
He said: “The money raised will go to the community committee [who will use the funds to save the Rifleman].”
The concert next week, will have a full line of local musicians, where Roots music that is usually played at the Rifleman will be taking over the Exchange for one night only.
Following the concert, the long term vision for Chris and the community committee is the hope for an agreement between the brewery and the freeholder. Once an agreement has been reached, they hope to set up a Community Benefit Society (CBS) to run the pub for the foreseeable future.
More information about the campaign to save the Rifleman can be found here: https://www.mandolinjack.com/SR/Save_The_Rifleman.html
Featured image credit: Rag’e Ali
