A pub boss has announced the closure of his venue, after branding the city "a ghost town." The Henry Potts will now close for good, after opening just two years ago in and around a 30 minute drive from . The , on Watergate Street was based in the old Fat Cat premises, just a short distance away Pub owner Jeremy Brunning confirmed the closure "with great sadness and not a little irritation", adding the increasing trend of remote working and "ridiculous electricity bills" as reasons for the establishment's downfall.
He said: "I think we'd easily have been able to make it if more people were in their offices and keen for lunch and early evening refreshment, but most seem to be working from home." He added: "The commercial heart of is a bit of a ghost town." In his statement, Mr Brunning said: "It's a beautiful pub, like a cosy little underground hideaway with excellent staff and the best quality food and drink.
"However it's simply not doing enough trade. If you saw the numbers they'd look like a lot but in today's economic environment, with ridiculous electricity bills and a host of other inflationary costs, it needs to be busier to be viable. "So we must close.
We'd like to say a huge thank you to the hardworking team. They've made us very proud and we are doing what we can to keep and relocate those who want to." The company behind the beloved local, Pubs Limited, also operates The Hare in Farndon, The Black Bear in Whitchurch, The Swan in Marbury, and The Druid Inn in Gorsed.
