The George Hotel

The George Hotel in Hatherleigh has been almost totally destroyed by fire. The loss of this glorious centuries-old pub is, in pub terms, a tragedy. All that history up in smoke; it can never be restored. But the George can be rebuilt, just as the good old Chichester Arms in Bishops Tawton rose from the ashes after a devastating fire three years ago. Careful and intelligent design and good North Devon craftsmanship should see the Hatherleigh landmark back in action, hopefully quicker than we might imagine while looking now at the North Devon Journal's brutal footage of the inferno.

Is Darling the Beeching of pubs?

By Adam Wilshaw

A NORTH DEVON pub trade spokesman has accused chancellor Alistair Darling of being the “Dr Beeching of pubs”.

The comparison is to the widescale railway cuts of the 1960s, administered by Dr Richard Beeching, which led to numerous smaller branch lines being closed.

Barry Lewis, chairman of the Barnstaple and North Devon Licensed Victuallars Association, said: “Supermarkets and Beer Duty are killing us. Mr Darling is the Dr Beeching of pubs. There are 589 licensed pubs in North Devon and they police their own establishments, supermarkets do not. Once the alcohol has left the premises they wash their hands of it, yet we seem to be held responsible.”

Mr Darling has been widely disliked by the pub trade for some time, and there was even a campaign to bar him from every pub in the country.

North Devon MP Nick Harvey said: “I appreciate that with off-sales there are no real control measures at the point of consumption. I have had meetings with the licensing minister and the treasury to argue that the latest rise in beer duty is too much of blunt instrument to tackle this problem. There needs to be minimum pricing for supermarkets and I am now pressing for this.”

The Journal published a special report in October examining the current fate of our local pubs. According to the many pub landlords we spoke to, talk of the end of the pub seemed premature, although it was clear the trade was perhaps facing the toughest conditions for a generation.

But active North Devon Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) member Terry Burrows said local pubs which sell quality ale and decent food in a friendly environment will thrive despite the recession. He said some pubs in the area were closing or bereft of custom, but the pubs he cherished most were popular and relatively profitable.

From the North Devon Journal.

North Devon Camra

"You Can Take A Lady There"...

A proofreader I know, who is of distinguished vintage, once said that Marshall's pub in Boutport Street in Barnstaple was the only place a gentleman could take a lady (for a drink) in the town.

Now, taking nothing away from his town centre local, which has been praised by Camra for the quality of its beer, I think that place has a rival as a venue where you can take a lady, or even a potential lady. Lilico's.

 

I shouldn't be writing about Lilico's here, because it's not a pub. It's a tapas bar. But it is a local independent tapas bar which sells a decent pint of real ale: namely, Cornwall's finest, Tribute. Some bars don't sell real ale, so JOLLY WELL DONE and TOOT TOOT LILICO'S!

Lilico's, The Square, Barnstaple

Adam's Ale Rating: 3 out of 5

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