Save Our Pubs!

Posted by The Landsite on 3rd April 2023 -

April 2023 looks to inflict further pain to the pub industry.  Recent reports from The British Beer and Pub Association warns the average energy bill for a pub will rise by £18,400 a year this month as the Energy Bill Relief Scheme ends.

Closing Down

The number of pubs drastically fell below 40,000 for the first half of 2022, a fall of more than 7,000 compared with over ten years ago.   According to research from the British Beer and Pub Association, the British Institute of Innkeeping, and UK Hospitality, only 37% of hospitality businesses are turning a profit.  2021 saw more than 400 British pubs close in the wake of the pandemic lockdown.  

Pubs that have disappeared from communities have been either demolished or converted by property developers into residential or commercial buildings.  Wales and the northwest are the areas hardest hit according to the research from the real estate advisers Altus Group. 

Industry leaders Wetherspoons recently announced the closure of 32 of their pubs up for sale.  This raises many questions; how many more will have to close over the next year and what measures can be taken to prevent this from happening.     

WFP Scheme

Thought you had heard it all last summer with the popular acronym WFH (Work From Home)? welcome to WFP (Work From the Pub).  Created by pub landlords the WFP scheme is designed to encourage professionals, business owners and freelancers to make use of their premises during office hours. 

Despite a return to the workplace for many in the UK and the hybrid approach proving to be a popular choice for employees post pandemic, there is still a large percentage of the working population who continue to work from home.  

Throughout the country 185 Young’s pubs and 380 Fullers’s pubs are offering WFP (Work From the Pub) packages for WFH professionals.  Young’s pubs are offering packages which include a meal, typically lunch with comfortable working space, free Wi-Fi, access to charging points plus an unlimited supply of tea and coffee.  No free alcohol, sorry!  

The most obvious downsides include lack of privacy and noise levels.  WFP may not prove to be a sustainable scheme longer term but could be a great way to support local brewers throughout the winter months.    

The history of pubs

The Oldest Boozer in the UK – Many pub landlords like to claim ownership of this prestigious accolade.   But can anyone be sure? Prior to pubs, monasteries brewed ale throughout the ages and there can be no definitive answer.  

The Guinness Book of World Records recognise Ye Olde Fighting Cocks located in St Albans as the oldest pub in the UK.   Threatened with closure, the inn was first established in 793AD, according to its website, but the oldest license on record dates to the 17th century.  The Old Ferryboat Inn positioned on the river Cam makes the most ambitious claim as Britain’s oldest watering hole. The pub’s owners claim that alcohol has been sold on the premises as early as 560AD, but a more reliable estimate is a foundation date on the site which places it at 1400AD. A great back story which adds intrigue to the pub is of a supernatural presence in the form of a jilted teenage girl called Juliet who hanged herself and was buried underneath the pub.  She is said to haunt the premises to this day.

Finally, Bingley Arms located in the beautiful village of Bardsey in Leeds, claims to have been offering weary travellers and clergymen alike a refreshing pint since 953AD. At 1,061 years old the pub is said to have been mentioned in the Domesday Book. Previously known as The Priest’s Inn, the premises served as a rest house for monks travelling between abbeys in Leeds and York.

With such rich tradition running through the centuries, let’s do our best to keep our pubs alive for future generations to enjoy.   

#saveourpubs 

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Licensed property specialists on The Landsite: Sidney Phillips