YOU might recall my theory a couple of weeks ago that one Wherryman’s Way pub was always in crisis. The Loddon Swan was in the limelight then because its management company had gone into administration. Well right theory, wrong pub. Last Sunday – the very day that Coldham Hall re-opened – The Woods End at Bramerton closed its doors. Another classic riverside pub falls victim to the economic slowdown.Landlord Martin Wormell was holding a clearout bonfire in the back garden this lunchtime. He blames a combination of two wet summers and one cold winter for failing to make ends meet. He has also noticed a big reduction in the number of hire cruisers making it this far up the Yare. So what will the pub’s owners do next? “Well it’s too important a pub to leave closed for the summer,” he told me. “They’ll get someone in, but I’m walking away with nothing.” Perhaps the next landlord has got to go down the Coldham Hall route; modernise and aim at the locals. Oh and they might want to glance at my “Boots as well as Boats” post too. The pub market is changing, fast.
my first pint in this pub was in 1971 i was 15 years old and on a hire boat with a friend for two weeks, since then i have been in or passed it every year. what a travisty that it has closed. this is a direct result of the smoking ban and endless red tape from this disscrasfull government, when 3/4 of your pint is TAX its no wonder these publicans cant make a living any more. belive it or not to make the same profits as in 1971 a pint of ale should be priced at around £7.00 per pint these days, but whos going to pay that. the massive rents charged by the pub co's make it imposible to make a living thats why The Ferry at Horning has closed. £150.000.00 rent per year MADNESS.!!
ReplyDeleteWent into the Woods End today while passing to take photos... Phil the new owner had closed for a couple of days to re-decorate (and from what we saw it looks great) but invited us in anyway for a coffee to escape the November chill. While we defrosted by the roaring fire, he chatted to us for 20mins while he cleaned the lines (done on a weekly basis for anyone who knows how important it is!) and made us feel more than welcome, esp when we learnt it was also his birthday. Shall be going back when it's fully opened again (next week) as the hospitality was wonderful. Nov 16th 2010.
ReplyDeletewhat?is crisit 12 mean?
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