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Pub Guide

Opening Times

Opening Times is distributed to 120 pubs within the Huntingdonshire area. If you are a local CAMRA member and you would like to help distribute Opening Times to pubs near you, please contact the newsletter editor.

Issue 150 Spring 2012

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PUB PIECES

Reports in Pub Pieces are provided by local CAMRA members, licensees and Opening Times readers. Further news of changes at local pubs is welcome. Please send news to Reports in Pub Pieces are provided by local CAMRA members, licensees and Opening Times readers. Further news of changes at local pubs is welcome. Please send news to andy.shaw@huntscamra.org.uk..

The Prince of Wales, Bluntisham, previously a Greene King pub, has been sold to the Wadsworths family, who run a number of other pubs in the St Ives area, including the Dolphin, St Ives, and the Queens Head and Pike and Eel, Needingworth.

The Royal Oak at Hail Weston was due to go to auction at the end of November, but was sold before the auction took place. The pub closed on January 3rd after a packed pub on New Years Day gave the departing tenants Barry and Ivone Chapman a rousing send off. It is now understood that the new owner has no plans to run the Royal Oak as a pub, and may re-sell the building, or run a tea room and beauty parlour there. In the meantime a Hail Weston resident, who wants to run the Royal Oak as a pub and had planned to place a bid in the auction, has made an offer to the new owner.

Oliver Thain and Richard Bradley, the owners of the Cock at Hemingford Grey, were presented with an award in January by the Huntingdonshire branch of CAMRA, to commemorate the pub’s listing in 10 consecutive editions of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. This is a rare achievement, and there are currently only three other pubs in the branch’s area with this accolade: the Pheasant, Keyston; the Chequers, Little Gransden and the Swan, Old Weston. In the meantime the Cock has started regularly stocking a mild, a very welcome addition.

In the Charles Wells Eagle Star pub of the year awards, more than half of the awards went to pubs in the Huntingdonshire branch area. Steve and Elaine Rogers, of the New Sun, Kimbolton, won overall Pub of the Year with two other awards for wine and dining. John, of the Dragoon, Brampton, was awarded best pub and bar food experience. Richard Binks, of the White Horse, Tilbrook, scopped Cask Beer Pub of the Year, and his mother Mary Binks secured the Team Member of the Year award.

The Falcon in the Market Square, Huntingdon is the subject of a renewed ‘Save the Falcon’ campaign by a local group that wants to see the historic listed pub reopen. Last year, Huntingdonshire District Council forced Punch Taverns to do some repair work to the deteriorating fabric of the building, but since that time there have been no developments and the building remains for sale.

The Punch Taverns owned George at Spaldwick has a new management team led by Stephen Cooper who also runs the White Hart in Godmanchester, owned by Enterprise Inns. At the George, new menus and a wider choice of real ales are planned, including one locally sourced guest beer.

The tenant of the Golden Knight, Sapley, Huntingdon resigned during a recent licensing committee hearing called to investigate allegations of drug use and disorder at the pub, which had led to its closure. Owners Admiral Taverns subsequently reopened the pub with a new interim manager in charge.

Enterprise Inns reopened the Aviator in St Ives in December with a temporary manager in place after the pub closed for a period on the departure of the previous tenant.

There may be a brighter future for the Falcon on the Market Square, St Neots, with the St Neots Town Centre Initiative (SNTCI) giving support to proposals to redevelop this historic pub. Denis Whitfield bought the Falcon in 2005, but his plans for refurbishing the building and opening up the river frontage have apparently been blocked by Huntingdonshire District Council, who refuse to allow him to demolish a 19th century boathouse. Mr Whitfield’s plans include shops facing the Market Square, apartments on the upper floors, bars and restaurants in the old coach yard behind the hotel and a terrace overlooking the river. SNTCI are now backing a formal planning application to HDC.

The Globe in Huntingdon Street, St Neots has been closed for over two years, and failed to be sold at auction in 2009. It has remained shuttered and apparently mothballed since then, but not any longer. Opening Times can report that someone is extensively decorating the building inside and out, and an unsubstantiated rumour suggests that the Globe will soon reopen as a Chinese restaurant.

The Coach House in the High Street, St Neots, stocking an extended range of well kept real ales as reported in the last edition of Opening Times, is now offering a 15% discount to CAMRA members on real ales.

Recently observed activity at the Three Horseshoes, Abbots Ripton, indicates that the restoration of the building is nearing completion. Owner Lord De Ramsey has reported that he is seeking candidates for the tenancy. Please apply to admin@arfco.co.uk.

The Lord Protector in Huntingdon has started offering real ale. The first pint was apparently pulled on Christmas Day. They have been offering Sharp’s Doom Bar and will soon be offering Adnams Lighthouse. The last time that the Lord Protector sold real ale was 20 years ago.

There is a new management team at the Vine, Buckden — Vicky Ruffell and Dorien Harris took over at the end of November. An improved range of real ales is on offer, and Vicky plans to hold two mini-festivals a year, the first around Easter.