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Village’s pub shuts its doors for the last time

4:30pm Friday 19th November 2010 in Local News

Closed – the Chequers pub, at Canewdon, has shut is doors for the last time under the present ownership Closed – the Chequers pub, at Canewdon, has shut is doors for the last time under the present ownership

THE uncles of TV chef Jamie Oliver have been forced to close their pub in Canewdon.

The village now has only one pub, the Anchor, after the Chequers Inn in High Street closed its doors for the last time, leaving six staff unemployed.

The owners told how they had tried to save the pub by ploughing £50,000 into the business over the past four years.

Mark Oliver, who owns the pub with his brother Colin, said: “It is a very sad thing.

“This year we have put in £10,000 to support the business and in the last three to four years we have increased the mortgage. We just can’t support it any more. It has made a loss for the past three years.

“I am gutted about it.

“It is not a decision we have taken lightly. It is a decision that has been on our minds for quite some time. I don’t get any pleasure in closing the business at all. It is a sad situation that we are all in.”

A group of villagers are now considering joining forces and raising the cash to save the pub.

However, Mr Oliver said a developer had also expressed an interest in buying.

He said: “If we sell it to the developer it will be as a housing development.

“I would rather the group could do something and it stays as a pub.”

Last June, the brothers wanted planning permission to convert the pub into four flats and build two bungalows behind it.

However, Rochford District Council turned down the plans on the grounds of overdevelopment.

Mr Oliver, who has owned the pub for almost 13 years, also said the smoking ban had affected trade.

He said: “The ban hurt a lot and with economic times as they are we just haven’t had enough support from the village.

“It is a number of things really. Banks are not willing to give support as they class independent pubs as very high risk.”

Comments(14)

AshingdonMan says...
4:49pm Fri 19 Nov 10

This is very sad indeed. But when Mr Oliver talks of 'not enough support' from the village, he has to recognise that the cost of drinking in a licenced premises is now a significant expense for most people, and times are tough. Even then, there's very little profit margin on alcohol.

The loss of community pubs will have far-reaching effects on social cohesion, and it will be the fault of a number of Governments and their policies, which have allowed supermarkets to drive them out of business.

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SARFENDMAN says...
6:29pm Fri 19 Nov 10

The Chequers has always had to play second fiddle to The Anchor mainly due to it's geographical position.
Pubs are struggling big time. They really have to reinvent themselves regularly just to keep afloat. Pubs are shutting at a frightening pace Countrywide and there seem no end in sight. Canewdon is no exception. Shame.

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southendreb says...
6:49pm Fri 19 Nov 10

Does anybody remember being told the smoking ban will bring out more non smokers to pubs and clubs.
Where are they.

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'V' says...
7:31pm Fri 19 Nov 10

southendreb wrote:
Does anybody remember being told the smoking ban will bring out more non smokers to pubs and clubs.
Where are they.
The same place the smokers are: at home drinking cheap beer from the supermarket.

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Little John says...
8:40pm Fri 19 Nov 10

In my view it is the smoking ban that has caused the pubs all over the country to close. I used to love a night out at the pub, but as a smoker, I have spent a fair amount of time outside in the cold since the ban. Not much fun, so I don’t bother any more. ‘V’ in the Vicinity, there has always been an option of cheaper alcohol from off licenses and supermarkets for as long as I can remember. It is since the smoking ban that I have taken the cheaper option and pubs are closing down. I don’t think it can be put down to the recession either; don’t remember pubs shutting down in the last recession.

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'V' says...
8:59pm Fri 19 Nov 10

Little John wrote:
In my view it is the smoking ban that has caused the pubs all over the country to close. I used to love a night out at the pub, but as a smoker, I have spent a fair amount of time outside in the cold since the ban. Not much fun, so I don’t bother any more. ‘V’ in the Vicinity, there has always been an option of cheaper alcohol from off licenses and supermarkets for as long as I can remember. It is since the smoking ban that I have taken the cheaper option and pubs are closing down. I don’t think it can be put down to the recession either; don’t remember pubs shutting down in the last recession.
During the last recession a pint was 45p and twenty Bensons were 40p.

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Little John says...
9:11pm Fri 19 Nov 10

Yes beer was probably around 45p a pint in a pub. I would hazard a guess that a Party 4 was around £1. I always took the pub option though because of the atmosphere. Speaking of which, I remember non smokers commenting on the Smokey atmosphere in pubs. They must be well happy now there is no atmosphere.

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colinpickett says...
9:10am Sat 20 Nov 10

I have never smoked in my life but absolutely disagree with the ban. It has been instrumental in the closure of most of the pubs in this country during the past few years.. The quicker this dictatorial, outrageous ban is removed the better. Having been to Germany, France and Spain recently (all part of the EU??!!) Almost every bar, restaurant and diner allowed smoking. Some blatantly, others in a designated corner. The English are a nation of gutless, jobsworth tossers and must follow bloody rules that our EU "partners" appear to ignore. Please someone challenge this ruling on the grounds of good old 'Uman Rites" mate....If you ban smoking on the grounds stated, you must ban vehicles from the streets as after all we are all breathing in far more harmful vapours than we may do in a smokey atmosphere in pubs....

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Little John says...
10:28am Sat 20 Nov 10

Well said colinpickett. I keep hearing about the supermarkets shutting down the pubs and can’t believe that people don’t just think about it for a minute to realise the real reason. My mind is cast back to a stag night I attended in Leigh a few years ago. We went on a pub crawl ( can have a smoke in between pubs) and stopped at the Grand for a pint. The pub was struggling and had got a DJ in for the night to boost numbers I guess. Number of people in the pub on a Friday night…..ONE! I kid you not. Number of people in the car park smoking….Around 90 I would say. Not too bad in the summer but not much of a laugh in the winter. It closed soon after.

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APR says...
6:53pm Sat 20 Nov 10

I predict that it will re-open very soon.
No doubt as an up market restaurant.

Doesn't Mark Oliver run other gastro-pubs in the area ?

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fredfoot says...
9:05pm Sat 20 Nov 10

I used to drink in this pub in the sixties and held my 21st birthday party in it, the locals were very friendly two old ladies I remember were May and Jodie and Cyril from Westcliff the blind man who played the piano.
Happy days.

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Ricayboy says...
9:16pm Sat 20 Nov 10

Pubs are a part of our English culture that I don't want us to lose.

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SaveTheChequers says...
11:08am Mon 22 Nov 10

Strange how their other pub hasn't been affected by the smoking ban...

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SaveTheChequers says...
11:09am Mon 22 Nov 10

... but then the they haven't tried to turn the Plough and Sail into housing.

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