A London pub referenced in a Taylor Swift song has had to repaint its toilet walls twice in the last month due to fan graffiti.
The Black Dog pub in Vauxhall, south London was inundated with ‘Swifties’ after the Bad Blood singer dropped her latest album, The Tortured Poet’s Department.
But while the new-found fame resulted in booming business for the beer house, the hoards of fans have also forced the Vauxhall pub to hire more security staff and buy in more branded glasses.
They’ve also had to repaint the walls of their toilets because fans of the American singer have been scrawling messages including ‘We love TS’ in the cubicles.
Despite the vandalism, the business is still cashing on its fame and has launched official merchandise including hoodies, caps and t shirts with the pub’s logo.
A hoodie available on The Black Dog website for £50. The pub has been capitalising on its new found fame
The Black Dog track 17 of the songstress’ 31-song double-album The Tortured Poets Department (album cover pictured)
Staff at the listed pub have been forced to paint their toilet walls twice in the last month alone because of the volume of graffiti that has been left by adoring fans.
Fans flocked after the album was released and eagle-eared Swifities noticed the reference to the Victorian-era pub.
The pub has become so popular, it has now overtaken traditional London landmarks in terms of popularity.
Research has revealed that the local pub has outperformed Buckingham Palace and Tower Bridge in terms of Google Searches.
The popularity has left pub staff searching for more than 100 missing pint glasses which turn up on eBay, being bought and sold by die-hard fans.
Other fans of the American pop superstar have put a food menu and a pub business card on the auction website.
The tote bag is available in an unbleached cotton and can be bought for £22 making it one of the cheaper items on the pub’s website
The embroidered grey cap has the pub’s logo and name on the front and is on sale for £34
A cropped peach hoodie has the lyric ‘come bar called The Black Dog’ with the bar’s logo and name
A travel mug with the pub’s branding. The overnight success of the pub has meant staff have had to hire extra security and even buy in more glasses after fans have stolen them and sold them on eBay
The Black Dog pub has leaned into all the media attention, adding ‘home to tortured poets’ to its Instagram bio, making reels linked to the song and including quotes on signs outside
A fan shows off her Taylor Swift t-shirt as she sit son a bench outside The Black Dog and enoys a pint
In a bid to cash in on the new-found success, the south London watering hole has transformed their menu, renaming drinks including a ‘Swift half pint,’ which customers can get for free if they sing a lyric.
The Black Dog has also launched its own range of merchandise including caps, hoodies and tote bags with the pub’s logo and image.
Jumpers start at £50 and come in white, black, grey and peach and feature the lyric ‘…some bar called The Black Dog’.
White t-shirts with a sketchy drawing of the outside of the pub go for £36 while embroidered hats are selling for £32.
Tote bags and travel mugs are also available to buy with shipping and VAT adding an extra £14.99 to all orders.
The American singer’s new album sparked a wave of interest in a range of London pubs which were mentioned in its lyrics.
Lyrics from the 17th song of the 31-track deluxe album include ‘You forgot to turn it [your location] off / And so I watch as you walk into some bar called The Black Dog,’
The reference led ‘Swifties’ to believe that it could be somewhere that the 34-year-old’s former ‘London Boy’ partner of six years, Joe Alwyn, snuck off to.
Despite all the attention around the pub, the owners and managers can’t confirm that Taylor Swift ever visited and have scoured hours of CCT footage in a bid to spot her.
In an interview with The Guardian Lily Bottomley, a manager for SC Soho, the small hospitality group that owns the Black Dog, said: ‘We’ve been looking at past security footage [for Swift].We haven’t found anything but you never know.
‘I’ve heard that whenever she visits places she puts a cap on, so we could have missed it. We’d love to have her back.’
The pub is not some high-flyers exclusive venue for celebs like English actor, Joe Alwyn, rather it is a classic London corner pub with the usual fare of steep prices
The pub has a Spanish-inspired tapas menu as well as all the classic pub grub. Fish and chips would set you back £17.50
The Black Dog has capitalised on its newfound fame and included Taylor Swift-themed menu items including a Swift-inspired burger
The Black Dog has a charming Victorian-style interior featuring wood panelling, green tiles and antique chandeliers.
The listed building sits opposite Vauxhall pleasure gardens and with tables outside and out back it can be an idyllic spot to perch outside with a drink in summer.
Speaking of which, drinks at The Black Dog will set you back at the typically uncomfortable London rate.
A pint of their varying draught beer or cider will set you back between £5.75 (for their own Black Dog Lager) and £7. Meanwhile, a glass of red comes in from £7.50, with white wines slightly cheaper.
When it comes to food, the pub’s traditional English look is contrasted by a Spanish-inspired menu boasting a range of hot and cold tapas options if you are after small plates. But they do also offer all the pub classics, on a rotational basis depending on what is in season.
According to the most up-to-date sample menu, punters can sit down for a burger and chips for £15.50, fish and chips for £17.50 or steak and chips for £22.
Sunday roasts are naturally towards the top-end of the price range. Beef rump with all the trimmings will set you back £22 with pork belly and crackling £1 cheaper.
But they are struggling to keep up with demand and have had to open bookings months in advance to deal with customers making a pilgrimage to the beerhouse according to The Times.
The pub has been overrun with booking requests for a table during Swift’s Eras tour performances in London and are even considering introducing a bottomless brunch.
Fans have flocked to the pub to film themselves sipping on pints of beer and ordering from the Taylor- Swift-themed menu.
In the videos, which have gathered thousands of views, Taylor Swift lyrics and pictures of her can be seen decorating the interior of the listed building while customers gather on picnic benches outside.
Twins Kylee and Jordan Ludwig and their friend Katelyn Anziano, all 20, visited the pub.
Kylee said: ‘As soon as we heard the lyrics and realised it was a real place, we knew we just had to come here. I mean, we can now say we were in The Black Dog on the day of its release.’
Katelyn added: ‘It’ll become part of Taylor Swift lore. Especially because it’s such a sad, emotional song.’
Jordan was particularly excited to visit The Black Dog and said she had already fallen in love with the new album.
‘I love Taylor’s more depressing songs, and for me Tortured Poets was the perfect mix of the production value of Midnights with the tone of folklore and evermore,’ she said.
‘I love it.’
The trio are all from the United States but have been studying abroad at London’s Arcadia University since January. They describe themselves as mega Swifties – and have all already been to The Eras Tour.
Connor Price, assistant manager at The Black Dog, said the three students weren’t the only fans who have visited the pub.
He said: ‘We’ve already had quite a few groups. Some came in and asked for a vodka and Diet Coke, as that’s apparently Taylor’s favourite drink.
‘And last night we had a group in Taylor Swift t-shirts, which was before the whole song was even out.’
