Last Call: Two fifths of Shropshire pubs have shut in last ten years

With nearly a quarter of the UK’s pubs taking their last orders since 2008, the Campaign for Real Ale says communities suffer as small local pubs are lost.

There are now around 95 pubs and bars in Telford & Wrekin, an estimated 55 fewer than in 2008, figures from the Office of National Statistics show.

In the Shropshire Council area there are now around 340 pubs and bars in Shropshire, a drop of around 90 in the same period.

The situation has been reflected across the West Midlands, where 25 per cent of pubs and bars have closed in the last 10 years. There are now 3,420 in the region.

In Powys, there are now around 165 pubs and bars in Powys, an estimated 80 fewer than in 2008. And across Wales, almost three in 10 of pubs have closed in the last decade.

The ONS’s 'Economics of Ale' report shows that there are 11,000 fewer pubs and bars nationwide than before the 2008 recession.

Reform

But the turnover of the pub industry has remained strong, as larger chains focus on bigger bars at the expense of smaller pubs.

While the number of establishments has declined, there are more employees working in pubs than there were 10 years ago. The report suggests this may be because surviving pubs have moved onto offering more labour-intensive services such as food or accommodation.

In 2008, the average pub in the UK employed five people. Now, the figure stands at eight.

In Telford & Wrekin, a similar trend has been seen, with the average pub employing seven staff in 2018, up from four in 2008. Despite this, the total Telford & Wrekin pub workforce remained steady at 1,000.

In Shropshire, the average pub now employs six, up from four in 2008. The pub workforce is stable at 3,000. And in Powys pubs now employ double the number they used to, up from an average of three to six in 10 years. The region's pub workforce is at 1,250.

Camra has called for reform to business rates and cuts in beer duty to help tackle the loss of pubs. It also wants a full review of the Pubs Code, which governs the relationship between firms who own 500 or more pubs and their tenants.

The organisation's chief campaigns officer, Tom Stainer, said: “These shocking new figures show the huge loss that has been felt by communities up and down the country as beloved locals have closed down.

“By focusing on the stability of turnover from pubs and bars since the recession this study fails to measure the loss of the benefits that local pubs bring to their communities.

“Pubs play a unique role in offering a social environment to enjoy a drink with friends, they help combat isolation and loneliness and help people feel connected to their community.

"With a quarter of pubs closing in the last decade, we need the Government to act now to save our pubs from extinction.”

Pubs we've loved and lost

Shropshire has bid farewell to many fine hostelry's over the past decade, with many now turned into flats or knocked down altogether.

When the closure of The Alexandra pub in Oakengates was announced earlier this year, many mourned its passing. It was, after all, a much-loved part of the community, which had been there for many years.

The problem was that while many were sad to see it go, very few actually visited it.

The Castle Inn in Coleham, Shrewsbury closed 10 years ago.

According to A Heritage of Old Inns and Taverns of Shrewsbury by Derek Row, The Castle Inn was previously called The Windsor Castle and then, later, The Bull and Pump, and as such was recorded from 1780.

The Champion Jockey was situated on Wrekin Drive, Telford.

This pub was named after legendary jockey Sir Gordon Richards, who was born locally. The pub was closed in 2008 and demolished in 2010.

The Dun Cow pub at Dawley was demolished in February 2009.

At the end, a sign hung from its wall saying: "RIP The Dun Cow, Dawley, 1811-2008, 197yrs".

The Woodlands in Oswestry was once a popular watering hole, located out of the town centre, but it was closed in 2009.

In 2014 approval was given to transform the site into apartments. Brewery bosses closed the Middleton Road pub after they deemed it financially unviable and efforts to find a new tenant failed.

The Harlescott pub in Shrewsbury was closed in 2006 and later that year was hit by a major fire.

Crowds of up to 100 people gathered outside The Harlescott Inn to watch as five fire crews tackled the flames which leapt as high as 40ft into the air.

Fire chiefs said officers were hampered by dangerous conditions inside the derelict pub, in Whitchurch Road, because windows and doors had been boarded up.