February 19, 2001 17:59: A BECKENHAM pub, where David Bowie used to perform, has come second in a nationwide competition, run by BBC History Magazine, which hopes to catalogue Britain's historic wealth.
The Rat and Parrot public house, formerly the Three Tuns, in Beckenham High Street, once played host to David Bowie's "Beckenham Arts Lab", a gathering of musicians and artists, which he set up in 1969.
The pub has now been honoured by BBC magazine, which invited people to nominate local historic features they would most like to see preserved for future generations, recorded in some way or simply given the recognition they deserve.
The pub was nominated by Beckenham resident Matthew Fisher, who hopes this recognition will encourage the present owners of the pub to change its name back to the original.
He said: "I'm very pleased. I am surprised my entry has got as far as it has.
"I'm a David Bowie fan, I live in the area and I feel the pub should have been preserved."
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