Recent closures highlight the problems but there have been re-openings too
Whenever I look at the gloomy messages put out by the pub industry, I’m thankful that here in Oxford we seem to be bucking the trend. Bodies representing pubs need to keep lobbying the Government for a better deal, but their doom and gloom messaging can be counterproductive and doesn’t represent the reality here.
The Slow & Steady (formerly White House) re-opened in September 2024 after investment by Dodo Pub Co
But these are hard times for pubs, without doubt. At least two have closed in the last few weeks – the Gardeners Arms in North Parade Avenue and the Berkshire on Abingdon Road – owned by Greene King and Admiral Taverns respectively. All is not rosy in the pub garden (although they have escaped a proposed ban on outdoor smoking!) or at the bar, with increases in employers’ National Insurance dues, and the minimum or living wage, only adding to that pressure. And now they have “Dry January” to contend with, although the increase in “no and low” alcohol alternatives is helpful with even independent producers such as Thornbridge (Jaipur) and Adnams (Ghost Ship) getting involved as well as big brands including Guinness.
Pubs have no choice but to raise prices, and our survey last autumn of real ale in the city centre found that the average price of a pint is now £5.42 – way above what many people are prepared to pay. Thanks goodness for Wetherspoons!
Affluent areas such as Oxford will do better in this scenario, and I can’t think of a single pub in the city that has closed permanently over the last couple of years. Even the Eagle and Child, which never re-opened after the Covid-induced shutdown of March 2020, is on the way back as owner the Ellison Institute of Technology sets about the complex task of restoring a historic building to a traditional pub. We may have to wait until 2027 to sup a pint there but hopefully it will be worth it.
The Red Lion in Northmoor
But there are several examples of investment in city pubs proving that the pub companies or breweries owning them see a good future. The Head of the River, the Plough, the Port Mahon and the Slow & Steady (formerly the White House) have all been revamped at considerable cost, while the Morgan Pub Collective will soon relaunch the Angel & Greyhound under its previous name, the Oranges & Lemons.
Things are tougher in the county towns and villages, but here too there are signs of green shoots. Country pubs re-opening after long periods of closure include the Red Lion in Northmoor, the White Horse in Stonesfield, the Black Horse in Gozzards Ford, the Bat and Ball in Cuddesdon, the Gardiner Arms in Tackley and the Royal Sun in Begbroke.
Those remaining closed include the White Hart in Wytham, the Crown in Stadhampton, the Red Lion in Islip and the Crown and Tuns in Deddington, but some of these may re-open as councils are becoming belatedly very strict about allowing change-of-use applications.
Just because a pub is open and there’s a friendly welcome from behind the bar doesn’t mean it’s doing well, and many people running their own pub businesses are really suffering. CAMRA says 1,200 pubs around the UK were closed at least temporarily in 2024, up from around 1,000 in 2023 and 800 in 2022, a major reason being that many people running them just give up the struggle. The total number of pubs in the UK has fallen below 39,000 for the first time – down from 50,000 a decade ago.
However good the Christmas and New Year trade, many are looking at the lean months of January and February with trepidation. Now, more than ever, pubs – and independent pubs in particular – need your support.
Closed again….. the Gardeners Arms in North Parade Avenue
The outlook for local pubs – will Oxford still buck the trend?
Recent closures highlight the problems but there have been re-openings too
Whenever I look at the gloomy messages put out by the pub industry, I’m thankful that here in Oxford we seem to be bucking the trend. Bodies representing pubs need to keep lobbying the Government for a better deal, but their doom and gloom messaging can be counterproductive and doesn’t represent the reality here.
But these are hard times for pubs, without doubt. At least two have closed in the last few weeks – the Gardeners Arms in North Parade Avenue and the Berkshire on Abingdon Road – owned by Greene King and Admiral Taverns respectively. All is not rosy in the pub garden (although they have escaped a proposed ban on outdoor smoking!) or at the bar, with increases in employers’ National Insurance dues, and the minimum or living wage, only adding to that pressure. And now they have “Dry January” to contend with, although the increase in “no and low” alcohol alternatives is helpful with even independent producers such as Thornbridge (Jaipur) and Adnams (Ghost Ship) getting involved as well as big brands including Guinness.
Pubs have no choice but to raise prices, and our survey last autumn of real ale in the city centre found that the average price of a pint is now £5.42 – way above what many people are prepared to pay. Thanks goodness for Wetherspoons!
Affluent areas such as Oxford will do better in this scenario, and I can’t think of a single pub in the city that has closed permanently over the last couple of years. Even the Eagle and Child, which never re-opened after the Covid-induced shutdown of March 2020, is on the way back as owner the Ellison Institute of Technology sets about the complex task of restoring a historic building to a traditional pub. We may have to wait until 2027 to sup a pint there but hopefully it will be worth it.
But there are several examples of investment in city pubs proving that the pub companies or breweries owning them see a good future. The Head of the River, the Plough, the Port Mahon and the Slow & Steady (formerly the White House) have all been revamped at considerable cost, while the Morgan Pub Collective will soon relaunch the Angel & Greyhound under its previous name, the Oranges & Lemons.
Things are tougher in the county towns and villages, but here too there are signs of green shoots. Country pubs re-opening after long periods of closure include the Red Lion in Northmoor, the White Horse in Stonesfield, the Black Horse in Gozzards Ford, the Bat and Ball in Cuddesdon, the Gardiner Arms in Tackley and the Royal Sun in Begbroke.
Those remaining closed include the White Hart in Wytham, the Crown in Stadhampton, the Red Lion in Islip and the Crown and Tuns in Deddington, but some of these may re-open as councils are becoming belatedly very strict about allowing change-of-use applications.
Just because a pub is open and there’s a friendly welcome from behind the bar doesn’t mean it’s doing well, and many people running their own pub businesses are really suffering. CAMRA says 1,200 pubs around the UK were closed at least temporarily in 2024, up from around 1,000 in 2023 and 800 in 2022, a major reason being that many people running them just give up the struggle. The total number of pubs in the UK has fallen below 39,000 for the first time – down from 50,000 a decade ago.
However good the Christmas and New Year trade, many are looking at the lean months of January and February with trepidation. Now, more than ever, pubs – and independent pubs in particular – need your support.
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