Up for sale

 

The Red Lion, Stow Hill, Newport is up for sale, asking price £175,000, down from £190,000 last month. A once decent boozer that has fallen on bad times over the past few years, not helped by the indifference of the owners, Punch Taverns, and their sozzled tenant.

Once a Welsh Brewers pub, the Red Lion played host to the first meeting of Gwent CAMRA back in the 1970s and in the 1990s was bought by Marr Taverns and then Ushers Brewery of Trowbridge. In the Ushers days the landlord used to serve guest beers from a secret cellar - it was know as the 'Ann Frank Cellar' due to it being so well hidden. The same landlord built up a lunchtime food trade, the present incumbent does not even open the pub lunchtime, no doubt too busy sleeping off the drink from the night before - the pub opens around 3/4pm depending on when the landlord wakes up from his vomit-encrusted bed.

The pub has also gained a reputation for violence, not helped by the fact that the landlord refused to identify to the police a regular who attacked another customer. So he lost a few customers that way, not that he cared too much as his drinking has reached such problem levels that such thoughts are blocked out of his tiny alcohol-soddled mind. Yes Brian I mean you - are you going to threaten to stab me again just because I criticise your shitty pub?

From the sales catalogue:

"No accurate trading figures are available. Prospective purchasers will need to reach their own conclusions as to the potential trade and profitability which can be enjoyed at this outlet"
So Punch refuse to tell anyone what the pub is trading at? No surprise they have had to knock down the price by £15,000 in a month.

This could be a very successful pub once again, given the right ownership and management, opening the pub lunchtimes would be a start. Lighting the real fire in Winter would also help - the miserable git of a landlord could not be bothered one Christmas a few years ago.
There is a small area out the front for smokers and a larger unused rear courtyard and a passageway - this was the first pub I noticed when the smoking ban came in - noticed the smell of stale beer in the carpets as well as the smell from the toilets - tobacco smoking did have its advantages in some shit pubs!
Can't see anyone wanting to buy a Newport pub at the moment, looks like another auction property on the cards and conversion to flats?

Punch Taverns aiding the Temperance Movement?

Failing pub company Punch Taverns has closed the doors on another of its pubs. This time the Engineers Arms in Baneswell, Newport, has received the death sentence from the Staffordshire-based company. The pub shut last week and rumours abound that Punch plan to turn this old Newport pub into residential accommodation. This two-bar pub was famous for its regular jazz sessions and attracted regulars such as author Alexander Cordell and journalist Mike Buckingham.

Unfortunately the heavy rents and overly-expensive beer that had to be bought via Punch, drove the customers away to cheaper, free-of-tie pubs such as Wetherspoons and the Pen & Wig. Hardly surprising that trade diminished to a point that the Engineers became unviable.

The Engineers Arms was formerly run by Welsh Brewers and served Bass and Hancocks HB. It was mentioned in 1872 and seems to have been built when Baneswell was developed in the 19^th Century as the pub overlooks and runs parallel to the main line railway cutting.

A few Baneswell pubs have seen a bit of a boost recently as the area has attempted to reinvent itself to become Newports gay quarter. The former Great Western Railway Association Club reopened as a gay pub called “Through the Arch”, the former Paddy Palace O' Reilleys became “Ex-it” gay bar and the Oddfellowes And Foresters Arms has a rainbow outside and advertises itself as 'gay friendly', whatever that means? Oh and you can still get shafted in the Red Lion but don't expect the lazy landlord to open the pub until he gets up in the late afternoon after an alleged heavy night of partying throughout the early hours of the morning.

Newport's newest gay pub, the Red Lion on Stow Hill

The Red Lion is another Punch Taverns pub and the present landlord seems intent on running his business into the ground. Punch seem to have little or no interest in seeing their pubs survive as they would rather get the money, even in a depressed housing market, that would result from the premises being sold off as accommodation. The only thing that will save this pub from certain closure would be a regime change, but unfortunately none seems likely.

Elsewhere in Newport, the Hornblower remains closed. This pub has now been closed for around 14 months and is owned by another failing pub company, Admiral Taverns. The Hornblower suffered in the last few years from a succession of bad managers, the last being 'Alchy' Karen who not only drank the place dry but allowed the pub to fall into a dreadful state with mould growing on the walls of the pub and filthy glassware. The 'Blower now stands empty, in the middle of 2 other derelict buildings, waiting for the inevitable insurance job fire to sweep through this run-down area of the City. Admiral Taverns are advertising for a tenant for the pub but with their high rents and beer tie, who would want to go into this business. Admiral Taverns have had an offer from a local brewery to buy the freehold of the Hornblower, but refuse to sell. In the crazy world of the Pubco, it makes more sense to hold onto a closed, derelict and soon to be collapsing building than to realise its capitol immediately. But at the end of the day the pub is still closed so it is the customer that looses.

Further down Commercial Street, the King William IV is also shut, though more securely boarded up, than other buildings. Perhaps the owners of this property are not waiting for the fire to rip through this place. This large building stands on the corner of 2 main roads, so Newport council may come out with a plan to demolish this pub to “assist with the traffic flow”.

King William IV traffic obstruction

Heading down to Pill, the pub situation is even more dire. The saddest closure of them all is of the Church House, birthplace of Newport Tramp poet, WH Davies. Again, this pub is shut and boarded up, no sign on the outside of the building as to which Pubco owns it – it may be Punch as the Church House pub came from the former Hancocks/Welsh Brewers empire.

The Temperance Movements of the Nineteenth Century could only ever have dreamed of the pub carnage that has been caused by the Pubcos with their high rents and expensive beer ties. It has become clear that the tied-house system has failed with regard to the Pubcos – but will the Government ever realise this and bring in legislation that will open up the market to our smaller brewers? I seriously doubt it.