One of Britain’s oldest pubs has called last orders after nearly 500 years pulling pints.
First opened in 1540, the Hole in the Wall, in Torquay, Devon, is older than Shakespeare and the United Kingdom.
It’s survived two World Wars and 22 monarchs, spanning from King Henry VIII to the the invention of Bitcoin and the iPhone.
But the 485-year-old pub hasn’t survived the rising costs plaguing Britain. Hole in the Wall just can’t afford its rent.
‘I’m very, very sad, of course I’d like to carry on’, pub landlord Richard Rossendale-Cook, 81, told ITV News last month.
‘But unless somebody comes up – a Russian oligarch or someone will give me £360,000 to go and pay off the bill, you know – you’re gonna shut and that’s the end of it.’
More than 400 pubs closed across England and Wales last year, despite consumer spending at bars, pubs and clubs rising 3.6% from 2023.
Rossendale-Cook blames changing habits and competition from low-price chains for declining footfall.
Even being a historic landmark and tourist destination doesn’t appear to have helped.
He said: ‘It might be that the world is just totally changing. [People say] ‘oh I love your pub, I’ve never been anywhere like it’ – but they don’t come back. They’ve been in here, they’ve got the T-shirt and that’s it.
‘It might just be the costs and everything, unless the government steps in and helps publicans out or breweries out or whatever, it could really be the end.’
Hole in the Wall closed its doors on Sunday, April 13, prompting an outpouring of grief from locals.
One of them, Malcolm Gleave, wrote on Facebook: ‘You were one of the reasons we chose Torquay. I am so disappointed. The food was great.’
Another, Richard Beasley, said: ‘Gutted, wishing you all the very best for the future! Thank you for all the great memories over the years where we’ve spent each night whilst their.’
Announcing the closure on Facebook last month, the pub said: ‘We’d like to thank you all for your loyal custom over the years, with many great memories created, to add to the centuries’ more storied history here at the Hole.’
One of London’s historic pubs unexpectedly closed in February. Ye Olde Swiss Cottage had been a fixture on the Finchley Road roundabout since 1830.
The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) called on government intervention to halt the ‘avoidable’ scale of closures.
Its CEO Emma McClarkin said in February: ‘The scale of these closures is completely avoidable because pubs are doing a brisk trade.
‘Consumer demand is there, however, profits are being wiped out with sky high bills and pubs are facing yet more rates and costs come April.
‘We’re right behind Labour’s mission to supercharge growth and can deliver this economic boost across the UK, but only if it is easier for pubs to keep their doors open.
‘Government must urgently bring in meaningful business rates reform and phase in new employment costs so pubs can keep boosting the economy, supporting local jobs, and remaining at the heart of communities.’
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