Kinks mourn the loss of their 'shrine' as another British boozer bites the sawdust

The familiar lament that the traditional local boozer is dying a death has received celebrity backing in the form of the legendary rock band The Kinks.

Ray and Dave Davies have joined campaigners fighting to preserve the typical British pub as they mourn the loss of a north London local that has housed a fans' "shrine" to the Sixties band for more than 20 years.

The Clissold Arms in Muswell Hill, opposite the brothers' childhood home in Denmark Terrace and the site of The Kinks' first public performance in 1963, changed hands and closed last year and is due to be converted into an upmarket gastropub. Its "Kinks Corner" is covered with memorabilia including signed photographs and tickets from the band's concerts. Fans are outraged that its contents could be auctioned off to make way for more sophisticated décor.

Dave Davies, 60, said he was disappointed. "My kids used to go the Clissold now and again and I would always return to it when I was in the area. It's become a shrine pub for a lot of die-hard Kinks fans that travel from all over the world."

He added: "The whole idea of conservation is to keep the things of value and chuck out the rubbish and I don't consider The Kinks to be rubbish. I am sure that if this had been The Cavern and The Beatles' history that was being got rid of, it would have been brought to the attention of the House of Commons, the Lords and the Queen herself."

In an open plea to the new tenants, Ray Davies, 62, pledged to "do all I can to help". In a letter to Hornsey & Crouch End Journal, he wrote: "The memorabilia itself deserves to be seen ... I would urge whoever has bought the pub to retain some sort of reference to The Kinks in the premises so The Kinks' fans all over the world can retain a sense of 'place'. Many of my songs were drawn from characters I observed in the area."

The furore was sparked after a local newspaper reported that, at a Haringey Council meeting, Jobo Developments' managing director Caroline Jones said she had bold plans to revamp the Clissold Arms, which was awarded a plaque by The Campaign For Real Ale (Camra) last year. "It [the new pub] will be quite different, and it won't be the kind of place you would expect to see it." She is reported to have said that, if removed, the items in the "Kinks Corner" would be auctioned off. Ms Jones is currently out of the country. A spokesperson admitted that the removal of the memorabilia "was a consideration", but refused to comment any further.

The Official Kinks Fan Club said it was "dismayed that The Kinks are considered to be an embarrassment to the present leaseholders". It has launched an online petition requesting that Jobo Developments donate the items to The Alexandra pub or the Archway Tavern. Alternatively it urges the new owners to donate the memorabilia to its fan club who would auction the items for the Leukaemia Research Fund.

But Ray Davies said they would triumph in the end: "Whatever is the outcome, one thing is certain; The Kinks and their music will always be linked with north London and Fortis Green long after gastronomic styles have come and gone."

Cheers! Bands who made their debut in a pub

* THE CLASH

The Black Swan in Sheffield was where The Clash made their debut in front of 50 people on 4 July, 1976, supporting the Sex Pistols. The venue has since been renamed The Boardwalk

* BOB DYLAN

It is thought the first-ever UK appearance by the young Robert Zimmerman was at a pub called the Pindar of Wakefield in November 1962. He'd been invited to sing at a folk club run by Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger. The pub, near King's Cross, London, was also the venue for Pogue Mahone's first gig, in October 1982.

* THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE QUEEN

Damon Albarn, the former Blur frontman, launched his latest supergroup last October in front of an audience of 150 with a gig in the Pig's Nose, a tiny village pub in East Prawle, Devon. Albarn, who also mastermined the group Gorillaz, assembled musicians including Verve guitarist Simon Tong and the Clash's Paul Simonon

* ELASTICA

One of the few Britpop bands fronted by a woman, they made their debut gig at the Old Trout in Windsor on 7 May 1993. Front-woman Justine Frischmann dated Damon Albarn for a while. In July the same year they had their first headline London gig at the Powerhaus. They had numerous charts successes before splitting up in 2001.

* THE FRATELLIS

The Glasgow-based three-piece played their first gig in February 2005 in the basement of O'Henry's, a pub in their native city. They went to have a Top 20 debut album and won the Best Breakthrough Act at the Brit Awards earlier this year.