The pubs

[Accy cyclist]

A pub about 2.5 miles from where I live is in danger of permanently closing. The Hare & Hounds at Clayton-Le-Moore near Accrington has been open exactly 200 years, but after a few temporary closures till another one has an attempt at making it profitable the brewery are saying they're going to put it up for sale. It's a pub I've never been in, though I must've passed it thousands of times over the decades while cycling, walking, driving or sat on the bus. The locals have started a petition to keep it open, asking the council to step in to save it, but as the council point out it's nothing to do with them, so it's likely it will close soon.

https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/beloved-community-pub-serving-generations-31392611

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/25055227.petition-launched-hare-hounds-clayton-le-moors/

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good morning,

A pub about 2.5 miles from where I live is in danger of permanently closing. The Hare & Hounds at Clayton-Le-Moore near Accrington has been open exactly 200 years, but after a few temporary closures till another one has an attempt at making it profitable the brewery are saying they're going to put it up for sale. It's a pub I've never been in, though I must've passed it thousands of times over the decades .........

I think that you have answered the reason why the pub is closing, not enough people go in and spend enough money.

I'm lucky to have a brilliant pub within cycling distance, it is an old school drinking pub but it has never made financial sense and it is more of a life style business for the couple running it.

Over the last few years it has suddenly become trendy with older people, my age and a bit below, but a lot of them don't spend much. They talk about what a wonderful place it is and then make a pint last an hour.

Even worse CAMRA sometimes come in and be a typically annoying CAMRA visit, small pub that is crammed with 40 people inside, so they fill the place up, order a halve each after lots of "can it taste... " so proper customers have no room so leave before ordering anything.

They tried doing food, but they got loads of people coming for the food because it was a bargain because it is a basic pub setting not a restaurent. But they would only come in for the food and would order a soda water to go with it.

Now they've got to the point of many pints being between £5 and £7, basic cooking beer is £4+ which is pricing even more regulars out, forcing the weekend to be we need even more "one drink, isn't it quient, so we don't care about the price" customers.

In some ways it almost makes sense for them to only open Thur-Sat, they would be doing a normal working week and quite possibily be no worse off. Yes they would lose the regulars, but that would free up more space for more groups of cost indifferent customers.

4 pints a day is £20+ or £600 a month! Okay some will say that that is too much booze, but I am still alive!

Worcster has a thriving drinking community, full of both young and old people, but only at the weekends.

Since I started work beer prices relative to minimum wage have doubled and a bit more, okay there was'n an official minium wage back then, but emploment agencies all paid around £2.5 per hour for an entry level wharehouse type job and Courage Best Bitter was aound about 60p in a decent town centre pub. Or... at minimum wage an 18 year old got between 4 and 5 pints per hour worked.

Bye

Ian

 

[Chislenko]

Good morning,

I think that you have answered the reason why the pub is closing, not enough people go in and spend enough money.

I'm lucky to have a brilliant pub within cycling distance, it is an old school drinking pub but it has never made financial sense and it is more of a life style business for the couple running it.

Over the last few years it has suddenly become trendy with older people, my age and a bit below, but a lot of them don't spend much. They talk about what a wonderful place it is and then make a pint last an hour.

Even worse CAMRA sometimes come in and be a typically annnoy CAMRA visit, small pub that is crammed with 40 people inside, so they fill the place up, order a halve each after lots of "can it taste... " so proper customers have no room so leave before ordering anything.

They tried doing food, but they got loads of people coming for the food because it was a bargain because it is a basic pub setting not a restaurent. But they would only come in for the food and would order a soda water to go with it.

Now they've got to the point of many pints being between £5 and £7, basic cooking beer is £4+ which is pricing even more regulars out, forcing the weekend to be we need even more "one drink, isn't it quient, so we don't care about the price" customers.

In some ways it almost makes sense for them to only open Thur-Sat, they would be doing a normal working week and quite possibily be no worse off. Yes they would lose the regulars, but that would free up more space for more groups of cost indifferent customers.

4 pints a day is £20+ or £600 a month! Okay some will say that that is too much booze, but I am still alive!

Worcster has a thriving drinking community, full of both young and old people, but only at the weekends.

Since I started work beer prices relative to minimum wage have doubled and a bit more, okay there was'n an official minium wage back then, but emploment agencies all paid around £2.5 per hour for an entry level wharehouse type job and Courage Best Bitter was aound about 60p in a decent town centre pub. Or... at minimum wage an 18 year old got between 4 and 5 pints per hour worked.

Bye

Ian

From memory you have a Craft Union pub in Worcester which are usually cheap.

Best place for cheap beer I have been recently is Kendall with five pubs vying to be the cheapest.

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good morning

From memory you have a Craft Union pub in Worcester which are usually cheap.

Best place for cheap beer I have been recently is Kendall with five pubs vying to be the cheapest.

Yes there is one and it does what it intends to do very well, but I would rather not go out than go out and drink something that I don't want.

Despite quite high property prices Worcester is a quite poor area and £600 a month on beer is outside the acceptable range for most people.

This pub already closes at 18:00 on Monday and all day Tuesday, the trouble is that this has an effect on the Cask Ales, especially the really interesting ones which sell slowly anyway. The result of this I've started cutting down Mon-Fri visits due to price/quality/they're closed and see others doing the same.

But the hours the couple running it have to do don't change if the pub is busy or quiet and I wouldn't be willing to do the hours they do, for what they get out of it.

That's back to the point of if you want the pub to be in business then you have to use it and I just feel that for any non "pile it high sell it cheap" pub the price needed to be charged for a drink is more than the drink/experience is worth to me, and it seems to be the same for many other ex/cutting back customers.

Craft Union/Wetherspoons/Yates etc can easily sustain their businesses because it is clear that low price is the clearly defined selling point.

Whereas I had a nice Port Charlotte for £6.60 per single 25ml glass, it's the one of the cask srength ones that are a bit of £100 per bottle. They decided to discount it as it should have been around £8 per shot at the proper markup, but they felt that the customers just aren't there at that price.

Bye

Ian

 

[wiggydiggy]

Its hitting £17 a round, for 3 real ales, in Leeds now. I'm going to have to explore the cheaper options that are not Wetherspoons, which I don't dislike but find a bit souless.

There are some local options, Sam Smith out of Tadcaster is always good value but the owner is strange to say the least. Ossett Brewery is good, always a nice reasonably priced selection. Kirkstall Brewery is good, but they lack a city centre pub. Might start there and work inwards next time.

 

[Milzy]

Its hitting £17 a round, for 3 real ales, in Leeds now. I'm going to have to explore the cheaper options that are not Wetherspoons, which I don't dislike but find a bit souless.

There are some local options, Sam Smith out of Tadcaster is always good value but the owner is strange to say the least. Ossett Brewery is good, always a nice reasonably priced selection. Kirkstall Brewery is good, but they lack a city centre pub. Might start there and work inwards next time.

That owner closed a pub down as a guy upset him. He walks around looking like a homeless person when he’s a multi millionaire. He’s got loads of closed down places just because he can.
There’s a brilliant one near Nostell in Wakefield. He’s just a nobber.

 

[wiggydiggy]

That owner closed a pub down as a guy upset him. He walks around looking like a homeless person when he’s a multi millionaire. He’s got loads of closed down places just because he can.
There’s a brilliant one near Nostell in Wakefield. He’s just a nobber.

This is a well researched article I've read about the Pubs and Humphrey Smith: https://www.pressreader.com/usa/the-guardian-usa/20241220/281977498227066

 

[Adam4868]

Love a Sam Smiths...my local 😍

 

[stephec]

Love a Sam Smiths...my local 😍
View attachment 769172

Naughty naughty, using your phone in a Sam Smiths. 😂

 

[Adam4868]

Naughty naughty, using your phone in a Sam Smiths. 😂

There was only me and my imaginary friend in there !

 

[T4tomo]

This is a well researched article I've read about the Pubs and Humphrey Smith: https://www.pressreader.com/usa/the-guardian-usa/20241220/281977498227066

Yes he's eccentric and vindictive and has a massive collection of closed pubs and decaying historic building. I think he's got worse with age. its a shame because his pub philosophy is pretty good at heart (and the beer is decent) but he's obsessive on it enforcement and treats his mangers like shite.

 

[Accy cyclist]

A pub about 2.5 miles from where I live is in danger of permanently closing. The Hare & Hounds at Clayton-Le-Moore near Accrington has been open exactly 200 years, but after a few temporary closures till another one has an attempt at making it profitable the brewery are saying they're going to put it up for sale. It's a pub I've never been in, though I must've passed it thousands of times over the decades while cycling, walking, driving or sat on the bus. The locals have started a petition to keep it open, asking the council to step in to save it, but as the council point out it's nothing to do with them, so it's likely it will close soon.

https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/beloved-community-pub-serving-generations-31392611

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/25055227.petition-launched-hare-hounds-clayton-le-moors/

As expected it's going to be sold and without a 'must keep it as a pub order', so it could end up as god knows what! Those major junction traffic lights outside should put many off buying it to open as a restaurant/takeaway, but if our council get a planning permission request for one, I wouldn't be surprised if it was granted as councils tend to put business tax income before road safety.
https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co....confirm-closure-hare-hounds-clayton-le-moors/