Which pubs?

Good evening.

 

It's good to see members posting again.

I was beginning to wonder whether the forum had been locked by the moderators.

Both the Railway and the Male Hen are currently available if there are any keen entrepreneurs out there.

Details can be found here:

http://www.myrobinsonspub.com/vacancies/vacancy/150

http://www.myrobinsonspub.com/vacancies/vacancy/174

 

Edited by user 15 January 2014 20:49:37(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Robbies have disposed of the Wanted Inn at Sparrowpit and I noticed that it has reopened as a freehouse though I haven't had the opportunity to visit it yet..   Free cheers for that!

It is a shame. In my opinion i feel that Robbies pubs are all just too much of the same these days and were losing traditional values of a pub. I'm disappointed to see them so empty too and the forever closure of The Jodrell Arms. Whaley bridge used to be bustling, perhaps if more variety was on offer and perhaps of a better quality (not necessarily meaning costly) it may encourage a better circuit and a bigger mix of people? Local businesses need to shake themselves off and wake up from hibernation. We cant blame the economy, you only have to drive a few miles out of the area to see busy shops and fully booked restaurants and pubs, there is definitely something being done wrong or not being done at all. Am i alone in these thoughts?

One has to ask how many pubs the population of  Whaley can support. Here is a very rough estimate.

The Beer & Pub association say that in 2011 there were 50,395 pubs in the UK. A decline from 51,178 in 2010 and 67,800 in 1982 and likely to decline further in the next few years.

The UK population was 62.75 million in 2011. This works out at one pub for every 1245 persons.

The Whaley Bridge website gives our population as ~8000. The HPBC estimates it at ~7000. The 2001 census gives it as 6,226. 

8000/1245 = 6.4
7000/1245 = 5.6 
6226/1245  = 5.0

On the basis of these figures, and the very crude assumptions implicit in my calculations we should expect around 5 or 6 pubs.

We now have 7 pubs in the central area

-Drum & Monkey
-White Horse
-Male Hen
-Shepherds
-White Hart
-Railway
-Goyt


Plus in Furness Vale

-Soldier Dick

And then on the periphery

-Shady Oak
-Buggy Navvy

Also we have to mention
-Bowling Club
-Buggy Club

One could therefore argue, on the basis of the national average, that there is an oversupply of drinking establishments in our town, and that to support the current numbers customers have to be drawn in from a wider area. Whaley Bridge does have the advantage of good public transport links, the attractions of surrounding countryside and the canal basin area to attract visitors.

I think there is a problem with Robinsons pubs such as the Railway and Male hen. The successful pubs in Whaley serve a variety of beers, and on the basis of the people I have met there seem to attract people from out of town for this reason. I am not sure that Robbies pubs have the same pulling power. I also have to ask myself who would want to take on these pubs. The Robinsons estimate for the profit from the male hen is £18 K a year. I would expect them to be optimistic. Even if you take into account that your accommodation is paid for, this is not a great reward for all the hard work required.

http://www.beerandpub.com/statistics
https://www.google.co.uk...idim=country:GBR:FRAEU
http://www.highpeak.gov....-main-areas/central-area
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaley_Bridge
http://myrobinsonspub.com/vacancies/vacancy/174
 

It rather depends on what happens to them after they are shut.   If they are simply abandoned behind a crude wire fence like the Jodrell then I agree.  But if they are decently redeveloped like the D&P it is not really objectionable.


BTW, Rock Banker omitted the Crossings at Furness and Furness Club from his list.

Why are Whaleys landlords so lazy? Supposedly on Saturday night there was only one landlord serving behind their bar. The Drum and Monkey was shut at 9.30. Phil from the White Horse was drinking in the Bowling Club. The Cock hasn't got a landlord. Susan from the Shepherds was drinking in the White Hart. Wendy was in the White Hart but refused to serve even though it was three deep at the bar. The Railway hasn't got a landlord. Tony at the Goyt was the only landlord looking after his customers. Publicans are very quick to blame the breweries and supermarkets for the demise of Whaleys pubs but if the landlords put in a bit more effort they may well see an improvement in trade.

There were 2 staff serving but the wait for a drink was about 20 minutes which would have been significantly reduced if Wendy had helped out. 

if you want to run the railway i would apply quickly............................before the temporary manager runs it into the ground..........................

Hello again,

Any updates as to what is to become of our pubs?