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By Jennifer Castrodale
The Crooked House, an architectural oddity whose almost drunkenly slanted walls had earned it the nickname “Britain’s wonkiest pub,” will be closing its slightly off-kilter doors for good. The Dudley, England pub was put up for sale earlier this year, and its as-yet-unidentified buyer will reportedly not be using the building as a bar.
A South Lanarkshire pub dating back nearly 200 years has been put up for sale at offers in the region of £625,000.
Located on the suburban edge of East Kilbride, the Auldhouse Arms has been extended and refurbished in recent years but maintains many of its original characteristics. There is seating for 40 in the bar and up to 80 in the restaurant.
The pub is currently operating on limited hours, and the restaurant has been closed due to personal circumstances. Estate agents Christie & Co said the property is a “great opportunity” for a chef proprietor to operate both, or the restaurant could be leased out to trade independently.
The property, which also has a two-bedroom owners accommodation, is located near the Langlands Moss Nature Reserve and is said to attract visitors from walking and cycling routes in the area.
The property, which also has a two-bedroom owners accommodation, is located near the Langlands Moss Nature Reserve and is said to attract visitors from walking and cycling routes in the area.
“I am happy to bring to the market the Auldhouse Arms,” said Simon Watson, hospitality business agent at Christie & Co. “This is a tremendous opportunity to acquire a long-established and very popular bar restaurant that has been upgraded to the highest standard.”
England’s potential COVID-19 certificate scheme would require customers to show proof of vaccination, a negative COVID-19 test or immunity status to gain entry into shops, pubs and theaters.
April 12, 2021 · 4:00 PM EDT By Orla Barry
Pubs are important community spaces which are often romanticised as a key part of British culture, but for some – namely people of colour – the local boozer isn’t a place they can enter without feeling like outsiders.
By Faima Bakar
Kevin Divine*, who is Black, has felt that hostility in pubs many times. ‘When you look at all the flags outside a pub and see just white people inside, it makes you think twice,’ he tells Metro.co.uk. ‘Pubs are seen as super British but the “Britishness” they represent is kind of at odds with the kind of Britain I occupy and envision.’
‘One time, I went inside and it was like one of those scenes from a Western flick when the out-of-towner steps into a saloon and all the patriots stop what they’re doing and follow his every move.’ ‘Even the bartender forgot he was pouring a pint and let it overflow.’ Kevin, from Hull, – which was named City of Culture in 2017 – is one of many people of colour who have experienced this sense of being unwelcome in pubs across the UK. ‘That was uncomfortable but a part of me found it funny and kind of sad that people have that reaction to me being in the room,’ remembers Kevin. ‘My friends and I wouldn’t go to these places anymore because why put yourself in that environment?’
While it would be unfair to say that all pubs are unwelcoming purely because they’re often adorned with flags, there is tense relationship between Black and brown British people and the Union Jack or the St George’s flag. Some feel it conjures up images of English nationalism or reminds them of far-right movements – such as The National Front, which adopts the Union Jack in its logo. As well as decor, there are other tangible reasons that may deter people from entering or feeling welcome in pubs – including problematic names. Last year, a pub that shared a moniker with slavetrader Edward Colston was renamed after the Black Lives Matter protests. A chain decided to rename three of its establishments – including The Black Boy and The Black’s head – due to their ‘racist connotations’.
After UCL compiled a database of firms connected to slavery, another pub, Greene King, changed its title due the plantation connection of its namesake Benjamin Greene. A study last summer found that one in three people would avoid pubs if they had a racist name or signage.
Kevin isn’t alone in his wariness towards pubs. Anthony, a Filipino person who has lived in Newham his whole life, has a pub at the end of his street – but he never goes in.
Previous lockdowns suggest hospitality could be facing one of the longest routes back to normality.
By Paul Seddon
A world-famous British institution, they have been, along with other hospitality businesses, especially hard hit during the pandemic.
And previous lockdowns suggest both pubs and restaurants are facing a longer route back to normality than other sectors hit by periods of closure.
Recently, one group of scientists advising the government warned against reopening the sector before May.
Although the government is aiming to give over-50s a first vaccine dose by the spring, that would still leave a large number of people unprotected, they argue.
One of the scientists, Dr Marc Baguelin from Imperial College London, said even a partial reopening before then could mean “unsustainable” pressure on the NHS.
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